Central Dallas Ministries Food on the Move Program

Income eligibility is based on family size and income using the Standards for Determining Free and Reduced Price eligibility provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Click here for guidelines.

For more Information, call (214) 828-1085, ext. 132.

(In accordance with federal laws and USDA policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 or (202) 720-6382 (TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.)

List of food sites. (Excel Workbook, downloadable)

The Need:

One of most prevalent issues within our society today is the frequent occurrence of food insecurity or the lack of available food resources. According to the results of the 2006 Census Bureau survey, those at greatest risk of being hungry or on the edge of hunger (or “food insecure”) live in households that are: headed by a single woman; Hispanic or Black; or with incomes below the poverty line. Below are some alarming facts about child hunger on both a state and national level:

• Over 64% of all public school age children in Dallas County are at or below 185% of the poverty level -- which qualifies them for free and/or reduced-price meals
  
• In the Dallas Independent School District, over 84% of all enrolled children qualify for free and/or reduced-price meals, which means they are at 185% or below the poverty level.
  
• Texas is No. 1  in child hunger; 1 in 5 children go to bed hungry
• Of the 49.1 million people living in food insecure households, 16.7 million are children. This constitutes 22.5% of all children in the United States.  
• 17.3 million people live in households considered to have "very low food security" -- a U.S. Department of Agriculture term which means one or more people in the household were hungry over the course of the year because of the inability to afford enough food. This was up from 11.9 million in 2007 and 8.5 million in 2000.
• Very low food security has been getting worse, even before the U.S. recession. The number of people in this category in 2008 has more than doubled since 2000.

Meeting the Need:

  The Nurture Knowledge & Nutrition department consists of three distinct programs that target the                      factors of both child nutrition and food insecurity among children. All three programs are supported by              both the Texas and United States Departments of Agriculture:

• The At-Risk Snack Program offers existing after school programs the opportunity to provide their participating children with a free, nutritious snack. Additionally, these programs offer structured, educational and enrichment activities to enrolled students. During the 2009 school year, the After School Snack Program served a total of 220,000 snacks to children in afterschool programming. Currently, NKN has 52 participating sites that provide approximately 25,000 snacks per month.

• The Child Care Center Food Reimbursement Program seeks to improve the quality of day care for children by making care more affordable for many low-income families. This program provides reimbursement to qualified child care centers whose enrolled children meet the necessary criteria. Currently, NKN sponsors eight child care centers, serving approximately 24,800 meals each month, with cash reimbursements to centers of approximately $14,500 per month. 

• The Summer Food Service Program allows low-income children who qualify for the free lunch program during the school year to continue receiving free, nutritious meals during the summer vacation months. Most organizations that participate in the summer programs also provide educational and enrichment programming to participating children. During the summer of 2009, NKN expanded the program to include sites in Austin as well as a mobile feeding program, and sponsored 142 sites that served approximately 10,000 children over 380,000 meals.

Currently, the Nurture Knowledge & Nutrition Department is involved in various initiatives that seek to improve the overall health and wellbeing of at-risk children. These initiatives and programs seek to advance areas such as nutrition, health, and legislation in regards to the welfare of children, both locally and nationally:

• Nutrition Improvement Initiative -- improving the nutritional quality of our after school snacks by adding more fresh fruits; better quality sources of protein such as yogurt and cheese, as well as whole-grain snacks and other healthy snacks.
• Launching a Classroom Garden Initiative in the fall of 2010.
• Member of the Texas Hunger Initiative
• Food Policy Round Table Member
• Dallas Food Planning Association Member
• Dallas Afterschool Network Member 
• Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Coalition member and Executive Board member for the CHIP Coalition, sponsored by Children’s Medical Center in Dallas.

To learn how you can donate or volunteer in this program, click here.