FRAC Chat

This week, the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) released Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report. The report finds that just over 2.8 million children received a lunch through the Summer Nutrition Programs on an average day in July 2023, a decrease of 170,926 children from July 2022.

The summer of 2023 marked the return to normal operations for most summer meals sites, after the end of the nationwide pandemic-era waivers. These waivers allowed summer meals sites to operate in every community, and provided operational flexibilities, including a non-congregate waiver for families to pick up meals to take home instead of children eating meals at the site.

When schools close for summer, millions of children lose access to nutritious school meals. While traditional summer meals programs support children’s health and learning, barriers such as transportation, location, and availability, prevent many students from participating, causing a spike in summer hunger. That’s where the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (Summer EBT) Program steps in.

With summer 2024 in full swing, Summer EBT is in its second month of operation in over 30 states, territories, and Indian Tribal Organizations. Hundreds of thousands of children across the U.S. have already received $120 in grocery benefits to help fight summer hunger, and hundreds of thousands more will receive the benefit in the coming weeks as states continue to roll out their programs.

We are excited to acknowledge a milestone in supporting food security for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community: the restoration of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for people residing in the U.S. from Compact of Free Association (COFA) nations —which include the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau.
This is long overdue.
Citizens of the three nations are allowed to work in the U.S. as legal residents, but since the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act in 1996, they had been denied the opportunity to receive food benefits through SNAP. which improves food security and health.

Summer is finally here, bringing with it long days, warm sunshine, and a break from the school routine. As students and their families transition from the structured schedules of the school year to the relaxed vibe of summer, our meal planning needs to adapt too.  

The Food Research & Action Center interviewed Patrick Tutwile, Massachusetts’ Secretary of Education, to learn how the state’s Healthy School Meals for All policy has impacted students, families, and schools.