FRAC Chat

The School Nutrition Programs — the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program —help reduce food insecurity, support healthy eating, and are linked to improved academic achievement and attendance. According to FRAC’s new report, School Meals: The Impact of the Pandemic on 54 Large School Districts, the shuttering of schools when the pandemic began and the variety of school schedules this past fall have dramatically reduced participation and changed operations in school meals programs. 

This International Women’s Day, FRAC is raising its hand high to show that we commit to #choosetochallenge and call out the inequalities that still exist, including how women in the U.S. are disproportionately impacted by hunger and poverty. 

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, research showed that food insecurity was a serious problem on college campuses across the nation, especially among students of color, lower-income students, and students at community colleges. The already too-high rates and harmful consequences of food insecurity have only been exacerbated during the pandemic as college students face disruptions to their learning and employment due to campus closures and the economic downturn. According to a Hope Center survey conducted last spring, about one-third of college students who were employed lost their jobs due to the pandemic. 

Serving free school meals to all students is a gamechanger for students, families, and schools, supporting students’ education and health and improving school nutrition finances and operations. Currently, schools across the country are able to offer free meals to all students under the child nutrition waivers that USDA has issued to support access to meals during the pandemic.  In the 2020–2021 school year, more than 30,000 schools (1 in 3 schools operating the school breakfast and lunch programs) were offering free school meals to all students through the Community Eligibility Provision. Looking ahead to life after the pandemic, Free School Meals for All should remain for all schools across the country.

In honor of Black History Month, here are 8 Black anti-hunger champions you should know.