Bringing Summer Meal Programs To Rural Areas

Leaders of child nutrition programs in New Mexico see a mobile food service in Moriarty as a model they want to replicate across the state.

Most summer meal sites are in urban areas.

Bill Ludwig of the U.S. Department of Agriculture says programs in rural areas have been difficult to implement because of the sparse populations.

He tells the Albuquerque Journal that Moriarty's program is a natural fit for rural school districts. The districts have the staff and equipment to prepare meals and buses that typically sit unused in the summer.

Ludwig says mobile meal programs can be run at a modest cost because the USDA reimburses school districts for food and labor.

The summer program overall provides 2 million meals to New Mexico children from June 1 through Friday.

___

Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.