OCO Nutrition Service Summer Food Service Program Providing Free Meals For Children

Child with summer lunch feeding program. Photo courtesy of OCO.

FULTON – For children receiving free and reduced-price meals at schools summer can mean hunger and a lack of nutritious meals. Oswego County Opportunities (OCO) has partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fill that void by bringing the Summer Food Service program to Oswego County.

“Summer is an exciting time for children to enjoy playtime with friends, a week at camp, a family vacation, or time at the pool,” Coordinator of OCO Nutrition Services Lori Halstead said.

“But just as learning does not end when school lets out, neither does a child’s need for good nutrition. The Summer Food Service program provides free meals to children while school is out for the summer. There are no income requirements. All children ages 18 and under are invited to enjoy a free meal at designated sites. All meals will be served onsite where the children can enjoy activities and recreation.”

There are no income requirements for the Summer Food Service Program. Meals will be provided to all children without charge regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service.

Meals will be available on a first come, first serve basis at the following sites and times. All locations will be closed Monday, July 4 in recognition of the holiday. Orders for meals are placed at the site the day before you attend.

All sites open Monday-Friday unless otherwise noted.

Fulton Catholic Charities CYO, 808 West Broadway, Fulton

Breakfast 8:30-9:30 a.m. and Lunch 12:00-1:00 p.m., July 5 through September 2

 Champlain Commons, 6 Samuel Way, Oswego

 Lunch 11:30-12:30 p.m., June 29 through – September 2

 Cleveland Village Park, 65 North St. Cleveland

Breakfast 10:00-10:30 a.m. and Lunch 12:00-12:30 p.m., July 5 through August 12

 Hannibal Library, 162 Oswego St. Hannibal

Lunch 11:00-12:00 p.m., July 5 through August 24 (open Monday and Tuesday in July and Tuesday and Wednesday in August)

Anthony J. Crisafulli Ice Rink 32 Fort Ontario Rd. Oswego

Breakfast 8:00-9:00 a.m. and Lunch 11:30-12:30 p.m., July 5 through August 26

Goettel Community Park 755 N. Main St. Central Square

Lunch 11:30-12:00 p.m., July 5 through July 22

Taft Bay Park 851 State Route 49, Bernhards Bay

Lunch 11:00 – 1:00 p.m. and Snack, 2:30-3:00 p.m., June 29 through August 18 (open Monday-Thursday)

Meals will be provided free to children in the following enrolled programs:

Camp Zerbe 253 State Route 104, Williamstown

Breakfast 9:00-9:15 a.m. and Lunch 12:15-12:45 p.m., July 5 through July 29

 Fulton YMCA, 715 West Broadway St. Fulton

Breakfast, 8:30 – 9:00 a.m., Lunch, 11:30 – 12:15 p.m., July 5 through August 26

“OCO Nutrition Services has sponsored the Summer Food Service program for the past 11 years and have served over 185,000 meals to children in our communities,” Halstead said. “We are happy to be offering this program again and I encourage families to participate and remember that hunger doesn’t take a vacation.”

In accordance with federal Civil Rights Law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P[1]Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA.

The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1) Mail:

U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410

2) Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

3) Email: [email protected]

OCO is a private, non-profit agency that has been supporting communities throughout Oswego County since 1966. A member agency of the United Way of Greater Oswego County, OCO provides more than 50 vital services throughout 100 separate locations.  For more information, visit www.oco.org. Did you know? It’s OCO!

Print this entry