On July 14, 2012, the volunteers headed to Renton’s Sunset Terrace Community Building—a partner site for United Way of King County‘s summer meal program. There, they learned about the inner workings of the Summer Food Service Program, a federal program that helps end hunger by feeding kids all summer long, when free or reduced-price meals at school are unavailable.

Boeing volunteers then grabbed bags full of promotional door hangers and hit the streets to get the word out about easy access to summer meal program sites. The results of the leg work: 2,000 door hangers were distributed throughout the Renton area.

What’s the push behind summer meals programs? Nearly 90,000 students in King County receive free or reduced-price meals during the school year. But Washington state ranks 40th in the nation for participation in the Summer Food Service Program. This means that only a fraction of those 90,000 children are eating healthy meals during the summer.

In an extra step to help end summer hunger for kids, Boeing volunteers also made a match donation to help United Way offer start-up grants for new summer meal sites and sponsors. The door hanger project was the fourth outreach event that United Way coordinated for this summer’s meal sites. To all Boeing volunteers, a huge thank-you for your support and enthusiasm for this crucial program.

Read more:

• Walmart’s grant for summer meals
• New summer meals sponsors stepping up in east King County
• How hunger relates to kids and education
• What United Way’s doing to end hunger