FRAC Chat

Jul 10, 2024
Maria Islam, Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow, and Erin Hysom, Senior Child Nutrition Policy Analyst

In a commendable move toward ensuring the nutritional well-being of our nation’s youth, five additional states will begin certifying children as eligible for free or reduced-price school meals using Medicaid data: Idaho, Maine, New Jersey, North Dakota, and Rhode Island.

Jun 26, 2024
Erin Hysom, Senior Child Nutrition Policy Analyst

Schools have until Sunday, June 30, to apply for the Community Eligibility Provision for the 2024–2025 school year. The Community Eligibility Provision, commonly referred to as CEP, allows high-need schools to offer school breakfast and lunch at no charge to all students. Starting next school year, any school, group of schools, or school district with an Identified Student Percentage above 25 percent — the percentage of students eligible for free school meals without a household application — is eligible to participate in CEP. Visit the Food Research & Action Center’s (FRAC) Community Eligibility Map to see which schools are eligible for CEP in your state.

Recent Publications & Data

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  • Report

    Efforts by health care providers to address food insecurity continue to grow. FRAC’s new research brief underscores the importance of connecting patients to SNAP, WIC, and other federal nutrition programs as the foundational intervention to address food insecurity in health care settings;
    provides key steps that health care providers can take to connect patients to federal nutrition programs; and synthesizes research on food insecurity interventions in health care settings that featured connecting patients to SNAP and WIC. Learn more in Connecting Patients to SNAP and WIC in Health Care Settings.

    Read the research brief
  • Advocacy Tool

    The federal nutrition programs are a critical support for tens of millions of households — including individuals of all ages — by helping them put food on the table during times of need. Investing in hunger prevention and relief makes good fiscal sense. Hunger increases health care costs, lowers worker productivity, harms children’s development, and diminishes students’ educational attainment. These negative impacts can be minimized with robust funding and support for the federal nutrition programs. Use this Fiscal Year 2025 Budget and Appropriations leave behind in your advocacy. 

    Read the leave behind
  • Advocacy Tool

    School meals play an important role in reducing childhood hunger, supporting good nutrition, and ensuring that students are hunger-free and ready to get the most out of their school day. Use this 2024 Healthy School Meals for All leave behind in your advocacy. 

    Read the leave behind
  • Advocacy Tool

    An expanded and inclusive CTC is a transformational policy for addressing hunger among families with children.3 With the tax credit improvements in the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, Congress has a unique opportunity to address hunger among households with children and improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of millions in our nation. Use this 2024 Leave Behind in your advocacy. 

    Read the leave behind