USDA Summer Food Service Program Provides Nutritious Meals for 750 Children Attending Healthy Hero Camp at MCC
July 11, 2023
Program ensures students stay focused on learning, exercising and having fun
BRIGHTON, N.Y. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Summer Food Service Program provides free nutritious meals and snacks to children and teens during the summer months via selected sites, including Monroe Community College. Thanks to a $161,137 USDA grant, participants in MCC’s Be A Healthy Hero Summer Camp receive nutritious meals from June 26 through July 28, 2023.
Launched in 2014, the five-week Be A Healthy Hero Summer Camp motivates Rochester-area children, ages 6 to 13, to stay physically and intellectually active. This year, the camp educates 750 children in math and language arts and provides sessions on nutrition, character development, music, drug and alcohol avoidance, and teambuilding. In addition to promoting positive behavior, the camp helps reduce health and learning declines that sometimes occur over the summer months.
The camp is made possible with the generous support of the ESL Charitable Foundation, Rochester City School District, Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation, United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes, William and Sheila Konar Foundation, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Fund for Youth Sports at the Rochester Area Community Foundation, Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation and Glover-Crask Charitable Trust, in partnership with the Monroe Community College Foundation.
Led by MCC Program Director Elizabeth Fell Kelly, Ed.D., the camp incorporates:
- 20 hours per week of fitness activities such as swimming, Zumba, yoga, football, basketball, volleyball and lacrosse
- 10 hours of high-quality academic enrichment programs in reading and mathematics aimed at eliminating summer learning loss
- Health education instruction in proper nutrition, character development, drug and alcohol avoidance, teambuilding and personal decision-making
- Healthy breakfasts and lunches every day
- Bus transportation between several city of Rochester sites and MCC
Twenty-four junior counselors, ages 13 to 18, selected and funded by RochesterWorks! assist in instruction, mentoring and role modeling. An additional 25 youth volunteers also gain experience assisting with the program.
To support the Be A Healthy Hero Summer Camp, contact the MCC Foundation at (585) 685-6020 or email the Foundation.
Monroe Community College is an equal opportunity provider.