December 12, 2018
During the holidays and all year long, millions of individuals and families who struggle against hunger are able to access healthy food with support from the federal nutrition programs. To celebrate the nation’s nutrition safety net, FRAC is releasing a seven-part “Remember This December” series that will highlight the impact of seven important federal nutrition programs.
This is the second installment of the series, which focuses on afterschool meals. Read the previous installment on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
When the bell marking the end of the school day rings, far too many children return home to empty cupboards. The Afterschool Nutrition Programs provide healthy meals and snacks to children to ensure they are fed after school, on weekends, and during school holidays. Learn more about afterschool meals below:
- Afterschool meals matter for children across the country: In October 2017, 1.2 million children received an afterschool supper and 1.6 million children received a snack on an average school day.
- Afterschool meal participation is growing: A growing number of children are receiving healthy afterschool meals because more schools, city agencies, private nonprofits, and others are operating the Afterschool Nutrition Programs.
- Afterschool meals fuel children’s minds and bodies: School-aged children have a higher daily intake of fruits, vegetables, milk, and key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin A, on days they eat afterschool meals compared to days they do not.
- Afterschool meals support the growth of afterschool programs: Afterschool meals and snacks are combined with educational and enrichment activities offered at schools, community and recreation centers, Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCA’s, and other locations — which keep children safe, learning, and engaged while their parents work.
- Afterschool meals help to keep children fed all year: Beyond afterschool hours, breakfast, lunch, or supper along with a snack can be served on weekends and during school holidays and breaks to children age 18 and under, helping to keep children fed 365 days year.
Learn more about afterschool meals at FRAC.org, and share our “Remember This December” afterschool meals graphic.
Watch our video on the importance of the federal nutrition programs.
