FRAC Chat

June 6 is National Higher Education Day, a day that celebrates the power of higher education as a critical step to prosperity, but also highlights the challenges facing students today.
Food insecurity is a well-documented barrier to college completion. To better understand hunger on college campuses, and policy solutions to support students so that they can successfully complete their degree, I interviewed Ruben E. Canedo (he/they).
Ruben is the co-chair of the University of California Systemwide Basic Needs Committee. This committee helps inform a campus-wide initiative that identifies root causes of basic needs insecurity and provides systemwide safety nets so that students are able to succeed and thrive.
Ruben recently testified in fall 2021 in the Congressional hearing on college hunger held by House Rules Chairman Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.).

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The National Alliance on Mental Health spearheads this month and is amplifying the message “Together for Mental Health.”
One way to protect mental health is to practice self-care. During this year’s National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, mental health was addressed during the session “Take Care and Take Care of Each Other: Addressing Stress and Burnout Among Nutrition Program and Emergency Food Providers,” where presenters provided tips on how to address stress in the workplace and prioritize mental health.

As Older Americans Month draws to a close, it’s fitting to honor the role grandparents play in our lives. The scores of grandparents and kinship caregivers, who have taken on the responsibility of raising children whose parents are unable to do so, deserve special praise.
To help kinship and grandfamilies access resources for children in their care, FRAC is honored to serve as the anti-hunger and nutrition expert for the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network. This network is the first-ever national technical assistance center for those who serve kinship and grandfamilies. The network, led by Generations United, brings together the nation’s leading experts on kinship and grandfamilies, including those who have the fundamental expertise of being a grandfamily member.

School meals are a critical component of our nation’s response to the pandemic. During  school year (SY) 2020–2021 and SY 2021–2022 , school meals , provided millions of students   nutritious food whether they were attending school in person or virtually.
According to FRAC’s recently published Large School District Report: Operating School Nutrition Programs During the Pandemic, which surveyed 62 large districts across 31 states, the child nutrition waivers have been critical in helping school districts respond to school closures, student quarantines, distance learning and other challenges during COVID-19. Congress had given the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) the authority to issue these waivers during the pandemic but, unfortunately, they are due to expire on June 30 despite the ongoing need.

Millions of older adults struggle with food insecurity. Given the harmful impacts of food insecurity on older adult health and well-being, it is critical that stakeholders, including community-based organizations, health providers, and public agencies, connect older adults to the range of available nutrition and food programs. Of paramount importance is connecting them to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is the only nutrition program available to all eligible older adults in every part of the country without the need for additional federal appropriations, or subject to a waitlist. A considerable body of evidence shows that SNAP plays a role in improving food security, economic security, health, and diets of older adults by helping them afford to put food on the table. However, one out of every two eligible older adults miss out on the benefits of SNAP.