When Lela Bunch talks about the prospect of building a new home so she and her children can have a place of their own and more living space, you can hear the excitement in her voice.

Between deciding what trees to plant and selecting new furnishings and appliances, it is clear how much the prospect of owning a home means to her.

And it should, it’s been a long time coming.

Lela Bunch is no ordinary woman – she is building her first home at the age of 94. Currently, she and her daughter, Lee Meadors, rent a trailer in a neatly manicured mobile home park in Laurel County, Ky. Although they like where they live, Bunch says it just isn’t the same as living in a home of your own with a yard and some measure of privacy.

She has always been a renter and finally decided the time was right to build a home of her own close to her family’s homestead – very near the house where she was born and raised, which remains standing today. Being close to her parents’ burial site in a cemetery near the building site was one reason she opted for new construction rather than the purchase an existing home. “This was very important to me. I had a tough time finding a place where I wanted to live, so I thought it was best to build a house,” said Bunch. “I’ve already picked out the dogwood trees.”

She will celebrate her 95^th birthday very near the time construction is finished on the new family home. Clearing of the construction site will start the week of April 5, 2010, and the house should be finished in three to four months.

When asked what she planned to do to celebrate once the house is finished, Bunch didn’t hesitate: “I told the contractor I’m going to have a dancing party!”

Bunch said it was a neighbor that told her about a housing program through Daniel Boone Community Action Agency (DBCAA), which partners with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development to provide direct housing loans to limited-income residents of rural communities.

She began the process two years ago, and now that her lifelong dream is about to come true, she could not be happier.

She said although the process has taken some time, it was very easy and worth all the effort.

“I’m just waiting for the house to be ready and I can’t wait to move in,” said Bunch.

Her daughter agreed, “She talks about it every day – she is so happy.”

Written by Katherine Belcher,  Public Information Coordinator, USDA Rural Development, Kentucky

During the school year, the National School Lunch Program serves more than 30.9 million students. What happens when school lets out? In the summer, about 1.4 million of these children eat a school meal in summer school, while over 2 million more enjoy breakfasts, lunches or snacks through the Summer Food Service Program. Some of the nation’s children are going without healthy meals in the summer. Hunger is one of the most severe roadblocks to the learning process. Lack of nutrition during the summer months may set up a cycle for poor performance once school begins again. Hunger also may make children more prone to illness and other health issues. The Summer Food Service Program is designed to fill that nutrition gap and make sure children can get the nutritious meals they need. Passionate community and faith leaders ensure there are meal sites in parks, schools, camps, places of faith and other locations nationwide that provide educational and nutritional meals to children to foster healthier lifestyles. However, the need is great and we need your help!

Here’s How You Can Help:

Open a Feeding Site

Your community building or place of faith could become a feeding site for children!  Sites are the physical locations were food is served. Each site location must work with a Summer Food Service Program sponsor that is financially and administratively responsible for the meal service at the site. You can also help by coordinating site participation with other youth activity programs in your area. The primary reason for the limited access to the program is that there are not enough feeding sites. So become part of the solution and open your community space to children seeking education opportunities and a healthy meal. To learn more contact your state agency: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Contacts/StateDirectory.htm

Become a Sponsor

Your community organization can be a sponsor, which means acting as the organizer for the Summer Food Service Program sites. Public or private non-profit schools, local, municipal, county, tribal or state government, private non-profits, public or private non-profit camps, and private or non-profit universities or colleges are examples of local organizations that often serve as Summer Food Service Program sponsors. Sponsors must be able to provide a capable staff, managerial skills, and food service capabilities. A sponsor may provide its own meals, purchase meals through an agreement with an area school, or contract for meals with a food vendor. To learn how to become a Sponsor visit: http://www.summerfood.usda.gov/Sponsor.htm

Volunteer

While feeding children is the top priority of the Summer Food Service Program, programming is what keeps children coming back. This takes volunteers – and LOTS of them – especially in June, July and August. Volunteers can help with basics like transporting food, setting up or cleaning up a site—they also plan and do educational or recreational activities with the children. Contact your State agency to find a SFSP Sponsor or feeding site to volunteer with in your area. http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Contacts/StateDirectory.htm

Tell Others About the Summer Food Service Program

Tell others how the Summer Food Service Program helps feed hungry children and discuss how they or their organization can help. The more people know about the issues, the more likely they are to take action to help end hunger or know how to help their own http://www.summerfood.usda.gov/webinar.htmchildren. There are great outreach materials here: http://www.summerfood.usda.gov/Outreach.htm

To Learn More About How You Can Help Feed Kids Healthy Food This Summer visit: http://www.summerfood.usda.gov

To watch a previously recorded webinar about the Summer Food Service Program, visit: http://www.summerfood.usda.gov/webinar.htm

Amber Herman, U.S. Department of Agriculture