| Releases & Statements
“You may not see children starving
to death on the streets, but you have to be blind to not notice
that there’s a huge nutrition crisis in the city”
New York City Public Advocate Betsy
Gotbaum today demanded that due to the growing need for free,
nutritious meals among school children, the Department of Education
(DOE) reverse its decision to close 110 school-based meals programs
across New York City beginning this week. Last summer, the DOE
operated 138 fewer sites and as a result, 139,000 children accessed
free meals in schools, down 24,000 per day from 2003.
“The DOE’s decision to
shut down these centers makes no sense. There’s a month
left before the start of school and more kids in this city need
free, nutritious meals. I’ve urged chancellor Klein to keep
all the summer meals program’s open so that every kid who
needs a meal can get one,” said Betsy Gotbaum, pointing
out that these meals, like the ones provided in schools during
the regular school year, are almost all federally funded. The
Children’s Defense Fund estimated NYC lost out on $73 million
last year by not making the program more accessible to NYC children,
over a quarter of whom live in poverty.
This comes at a time when soup kitchen
use among children is increasing. According to the Food Bank for
New York City 46 percent of all food pantries, 68 percent of all
soup kitchens and 29 percent of all shelters report seeing many
more children in the summer months[1].
Particularly disturbing, according
to Gotbaum is that one-third of the closings are scheduled for
the Bronx, which has the highest poverty rate in the city, and
more than 40 percent of sites in Staten Island and 30 percent
of sites in Queens are also scheduled to be shut. Seventy-nine
sites in total are slated to be closed this week, including:
Bronx - 26 out of 100 (26% of total
sites in borough)
Brooklyn - 18 out of 120 (15%)
Queens - 18 out of 62 (29%)
Manhattan - 11 out of 76 (14%)
Staten Island - 6 out of 14 (43%)
In all, one-third, or 110 centers
will be shut by the DOE before the start of school. Twenty nine
(29) additional sites will close on August 17, and two (2) will
close on August 26. Total sites closing early include:
Bronx - 33
Brooklyn - 27
Manhattan - 18
Queens - 24
Staten Island - 6
“It takes a lot of nerve on
the part of the DOE to shut down programs in communities where
they are needed the most. This sends the wrong message to families
and children of the South Bronx and other similar communities,”
said Gotbaum.
In a letter to Klein, Gotbaum wrote,
"The federally-funded summer meals program guarantees all
New York City children under 19 years old nutritious breakfasts,
lunches, and snacks during the summer break from school. The DOE
should expand the summer meals program, and make it as easy as
possible to participate."
-30-
|
