Garden State Times

New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Ed Wengryn, along with state and local officials, visited the Children of America Day Care Center in Burlington County to mark Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Week. The visit underscored the meal program at the facility located in Marlton, Evesham, which serves around 150 preschool children five days a week. These children receive breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack.

"Children of America is an outstanding partner and this site is an example of how the Child and Adult Care Food Program provides nutritious meals to thousands of New Jersey children and adults," NJDA Secretary Ed Wengryn stated. "This program supports child and adult care centers and emergency shelters by offering meals and snacks that help develop healthy eating patterns. This program in New Jersey continues to grow and we strongly encourage participation."

In New Jersey, Children of America operates seven CACFP infant and preschool childcare programs along with an afterschool meal program at each site. Currently, they serve nutritious meals to over 2,000 children across their programs.

"The families and the children we serve depend on these meals and the services that we offer," said Phil Cantore, Vice President/Executive Director of Children of America. "CACFP greatly enhances our ability to serve healthy food to our children and allows them the opportunity to create healthy eating habits at a young age that can benefit them for a lifetime."

Children of America has more than 60 locations across 15 states, with nearly all participating in CACFP. As part of its Mind & Body Matters program, CACFP forms the foundation for its "Apple-A-Day" nutrition initiative.

New Jersey’s 2,732 CACFP sites provide meals to 106,000 eligible participants each weekday across various settings including shelters, day care centers, family day care homes, after-school programs, as well as adult day care centers. There are currently 672 CACFP sponsors in New Jersey.

Despite a nationwide decline in CACFP participation, New Jersey's involvement continues to expand with over 300 new sponsors applying for participation. The state's Adult Meal Program under CACFP ranks as the fourth largest nationally.

National CACFP Week aims to raise awareness about how this program combats hunger by providing healthy foods for adults in day care as well as children in various care settings across the country. Nationally, providers participating in CACFP serve meals to approximately 4.5 million individuals daily.

For more information about New Jersey’s Child and Adult Care Food Program or related inquiries: visit http://bit.ly/1FwqWwB or call 609-984-1250.