City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: APRIL 4, 2018
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of a Grant Application to the Virginia Department of Education for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Summer Food Service Program for Children.
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of a grant application for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding from the Summer Food Service Program for Children.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. Authorize the submission of the grant application due June 2, 2018 to the Virginia Department of Education for United States Department of Agriculture for continued funding and an estimated reimbursement amount of $100,000 for program expenses; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents that may be required.
BACKGROUND: The Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities (RPCA) has administered the Summer Food Service Program since 1979. In order to participate, program sites must meet the criteria established by the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program of USDA. The site must be "located in a geographical area served by a school or center in which 50 percent or more of the enrolled children are eligible for free or reduce priced meals." Eligible programs will be able to serve up to two of the following meals; breakfast, lunch or snacks at no cost to the participants. The meal program will commence on June 25, 2018, and will operate Monday through Friday, excluding the July 4 holiday and end August 17, 2018.
As with the USDA After School Snack Program, the Department will contract with the Alexandria City Public Schools School Nutrition Services to prepare and deliver meals to 19
Summer programs. The locations of these programs are: Charles Barrett, Charles Houston, Leonard “Chick” Armstrong, Mt. Vernon, Nannie J. Lee, Patrick Henry and William Ramsay Recreation Centers; Power-Up Program at George Washington Middle School; Ruby Tucker Center; John Adams/Polk at Francis C. Hammond Middle School, and MacArthur Playgrounds; Therapeutic Recreation at Lee Center; Campagna Kids at Lyles Crouch and Patrick Henry; Headstart at GW Middle School; and Burke Library. Other City based youth serving organizations may participate under RPCA sponsorship upon request and in accordance with the program requirements.
The Recreation Services Division provides meals to the summer participants in the Power-On and Power-Up, Camp Adventure and Therapeutic Recreation Out of School Time Programs which operate Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for eight weeks at neighborhood recreation centers and school facilities throughout the City. The Out of School Time Programs provide recreational activities, enrichment opportunities, field trips, physical fitness and social interaction for 1300 youth ages six to fourteen years. In addition, another 400 youth participate in the program through City youth serving agencies and non-profit organizations under the RPCA sponsorship. The Summer Food Service Program continues the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program to ensure that youth have nutritious meals during the school vacation period.
The 2017 summer program provided 5,504 breakfasts, 17,023 lunches, and 17,256 afternoon snacks to youth. For the first time, the programs held in summer school (Cora Kelly, Mt. Vernon, Adams, Maury, MacArthur) and K-prep (Armstrong, Ramsay, Barrett, Polk, Adams, MacArthur) locations, received hot meals during those weeks, four weeks for summer school and one week for K-prep, under the ACPS SFSP sponsorship. Since these meals were counted in the ACPS claim for reimbursement, the numbers claimed by RPCA are lower than in past years. ACPS and RPCA are coordinating the summer meals again this year to provide hot meals to youth when summer school and K-prep are in operation.
RENEWAL GRANT PERIOD: October 1, 2018 to September 30, 2019.
FISCAL IMPACT: The meals must be served free of charge in order to receive reimbursement from USDA. There is no requirement for the City to provide either cash or an in-kind match for this program. However, the City is responsible for the normal administrative costs associated with this grant. These costs include financial and reporting oversight provided by the administering agency, RPCA, as well as by the Office of Management and Budget and Finance Departments. It should be noted that there are no additional monies available in the City budget to continue these activities once the estimated $100,000 in program funds has been exhausted. However, as has been the case for decades, it is expected that the federal government will renew this funding in future fiscal years.
STAFF:
Debra Collins, Deputy City Manager
James B. Spengler, Director, Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities
William Chesley, Deputy Director, Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities
Faye Maslaki, Division Chief/Finance, Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities
Margaret Orlando, Division Chief/Recreation Services, Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities
Nicole Evans, Office of Management and Budget