Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution authorizes a purchased services agreement with REAP Food Group Inc to provide summer meals for the upcoming summer. Under the agreement REAP will provide summer meal service as a partnership with MMSD at the Elver Park shelter as well as two additional locations. The proposed cost of the contract is $7,500; these funds are available within the Mayor’s Office 2016 Adopted Operating Budget.
Title
Authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a purchase of services (POS) contract with REAP Food Group, Inc., to provide administration and coordination of a summer meals program in partnership with the Madison Parks Division, Madison Metropolitan School District, Public Health Madison & Dane County, and Midvale Baptist Church.
Body
WHEREAS, food provided through schools are a critical safety net in preventing hunger and promoting nutrition; and
WHEREAS, the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) serves over 12,000 children who qualify for free and reduced price meals due to low household income during the school year; and
WHEREAS, the MMSD Summer Food Service provides free meals to all children during an eight week session during the summer, providing over 175,000 meals during summer school, at community facilities, and during recreational programming; and
WHEREAS, the Summer Food Service Program for Children is a federally funded program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered at the State level; and
WHEREAS, for all eligible summer meals sites, all children 18 years of age or younger are able to receive free meals and the entire cost of the meal is reimbursed through the Summer Food program; and
WHEREAS, the Summer Food program is historically an underutilized program with states leaving millions of dollars of funding on the table; and
WHEREAS, only a fraction of the children eligible for free and reduced lunch during the school year participate in the summer meals program; and
WHEREAS, while all summer meals sites through the schools are open sites to the public, adult meals are not served and community knowledge is lacking that the sites are available for free meals for children; and
WHEREAS, in order to address gaps in summer meal coverage, knowledge, and community engagement, the City began exploring adding open summer meal sites with MMSD and REAP Food Group at Madison Parks; and
WHEREAS, MMSD also indicated a willingness to expand current summer meal sites to include adult meals to encourage families to attend programming and take advantage of the free meals; and
WHEREAS, the Parks Division provided leadership in identifying Elver Park as a potential site for a pilot for an open meal site at the park shelter during the summer; and
WHEREAS, the Parks Division offered to provide the shelter at no cost to MMSD and program partners during the summer meals program and provide staff time and assistance in coordination and clean-up; and
WHEREAS, REAP Food Group, in its partnership with MMSD on Farm to School, healthy school meals, and educational programming, already works closely with MMSD food services staff on summer meals and is in perfect position to administer additional meal sites; and
WHEREAS, Public Health Madison & Dane County provided leadership in outlining a framework from which to model the expanded programming on, included expanded marketing, outreach, and evaluation; and
WHEREAS, MMSD has provided a wealth of information, flexibility, and a wonderful willingness to partner on this important expansion; and
WHEREAS, Midvale Baptist Church, through Pastor Bob Stine, has graciously offered to provide volunteer services at the Elver Park site;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Common Council support the location of an open summer meal site at Elver Park for children and families from June 20 to August 12, 2016; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Common Council support the additional expanded programming to include adult meals at two additional sites at Lakeview Elementary School and Leopold Elementary School; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Mayor and City Clerk are authorized to execute an agreement with REAP to provide administration and coordination of the summer meals program