February 21, 2023

For 2.5 million children around the U.S., grandparents, other relatives, or close family friends show an ultimate form of love each day by stepping up to raise these children when their parents are unable to do so. These families, known as grandfamilies or kinship families, provide needed stability, connection, and care.

Many grandfamilies face struggles with the sudden expansion of the household. Grandparents and other caregivers may be on a fixed income, have to move from older adult housing to more expensive housing that allows children, or have other circumstances that make it difficult to put food on the table. A quarter of grandparent-headed households reported experiencing food insecurity, according to a Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) analysis conducted for Generations United.

 

Fortunately, the federal nutrition programs – including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), school meals, Summer EBT, and WIC – provide essential support that improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of households with low incomes. The benefits of these programs are especially powerful for children and for older adults, making them important resources for grandfamilies.

Show love to grandfamilies this February, and year-round, by connecting them to these essential programs. FRAC and partners have produced several key resources that can help you connect grandfamilies in your community to federal nutrition programs:

For more on grandfamilies, reference Generations United’s report, Together at the Table: Supporting the Nutrition, Health, and Well-Being of Grandfamilies, which shines a light on the many struggles against hunger faced by grandfamilies, and solutions, and the Grandfamilies and Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center, which helps government agencies and nonprofits in states, Tribes, and territories work across jurisdictional and systemic boundaries to improve supports and services.

You can find all these resources and stay up to date on grandfamilies and federal nutrition program developments with FRAC’s new grandfamilies webpage.