September 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 107

Walmart Foundation Grant
Helps Hialeah Feeding Programs

ialeah, Florida, Mayor Carlos Hernandez held a press conference on July 14 to
recognize the Walmart Foundation and
NRPA for a grant that helps with feeding lunches
and snacks to at least 500-800 children per day. Surrounded by dozens of summer campers at the Walker Park Community Center, Hernandez said that the
city was grateful for the program.
The Hialeah Department of Parks and Recreation received a $30,000 grant to support a two-year summer
and before/after-school feeding program as part of the
Walmart Foundation's $2.1 billion Fighting Hunger Together campaign. NRPA provided grants to 30 communities around the country. The program helps fill the gap
left in summertime when school lunch programs end
and it also helps to entice more low-income children
to be active in park and recreation summer programs.
" NRPA is proud to be partnering with the Walmart
Foundation and working with 30 communities such
as Hialeah to make sure that kids have access to
these healthy meals, " said James O'Connor, NPRA senior manager of corporate grants. " By making sure
that they have healthy meals, physical activity, and
a healthy environment for them to excel in over the
summer, parks and recreation, Walmart Foundation,
NPRA, and Hialeah can come together to make sure
these kids have the resources they need. "
Because the cost of the meals themselves is reimbursed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, much
like for school lunches, these grants focus on the equipment and staff needed by park and recreation agencies

to store and serve the meals. Hialeah used their grant
to purchase refrigerators, freezers, coolers, food storage cabinets, and dining tables. Some of this equipment has also proven useful for Hialeah's senior meal
programs and for storing food donations from park
concessionaires. In addition, the department created
banners for all 15 feeding sites advertising the meals
program, in order to increase community awareness of
the availability of the free, nutritious meals for children.
" Look what it does for our kids here and for all of
the other parks that have this program, " Hernandez
said. " You can see what this program does for us and
the families in this community. "

Other recent stops in NRPA's summer
feeding schedule
Brownsville, Tennessee-NRPA congratulated Brownsville/Haywood County Parks and Recreation on June 10
for doubling the number of summer feeding sites it is
operating this year. A community willing to volunteer to
help its children and a parks and recreation department
willing to think big has resulted in an effort that is not
only keeping kids healthy during the summer, but laying
the framework for this city's successful future.
Houston, Texas-Proclaiming June 14 as Fighting
Hunger Together Day, Mayor Annise Parker recognized the partnership between the Walmart Foundation, Houston Parks and Recreation, and NRPA in
their commitment to fight child hunger. Mayor Parker

www.NRPA .ORG

meaningfully noted during delivery of the proclamation to NRPA and Walmart that " the need for nutritious meals does not end with the school year. "
Washington, DC-NRPA joined the Walmart Foundation and other national organizations on June 22 in
appreciation for the Walmart Foundation's $25 million effort to expand 2011 summer services for kids. Standing in
the Columbia Heights Community Center, NRPA CEO Barbara Tulipane emphasized the critical role park and recreation agencies have, as the largest provider of healthy
meals each summer, in ensuring low-income children
have proper nutrition during the summer months.
West Bend, Wisconsin-Wrapping up week 1 of
its first-ever summer feeding program, NRPA joined
Walmart and West Bend Park and Recreation on June
24 to kick off the West Bend Dairy Carnival. Not having
served summer meals to children before, West Bend
Park and Recreation staff did not know what level of response to expect from the community. When 99% of
the children registered for the summer feeding program
were found to be eligible for free or reduced-price school
meals, the department knew it had hit on a real need.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-Helping kick off the
" KidsFest at the Dell " event on July 19, which gathered
more than 1,000 summer camp children for a day of
physical activity and fun, NRPA and Walmart joined
Mayor Michael Nutter to highlight Philadelphia Parks
and Recreation's programs to engage children in positive, healthy activity throughout the summer months.

SEPTEMBER 2011

Parks & Recreation 105

September 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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