Media Contact:
Jordan Baker
jbaker@frac.org
202-640-1118
Statement attributed to Luis Guardia, president, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
WASHINGTON, October 9, 2020 — The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) commends the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its decision to extend the Summer Nutrition waivers through June 30, 2021. This extension will ensure schools and private nonprofit organizations have the consistency and time needed in order to effectively plan and implement meal service for millions of children across the country who rely on free and reduced-price school meals.
We applaud the USDA for heeding anti-hunger, education, youth-serving communities’ and bi-partisan calls to extend waivers for critical child nutrition programs that ensure the growing number of children at risk of hunger can get the nutrition they need regardless of their remote- or hybrid-learning setting. These investments will help millions of children get the nutrition they need for their health and development.
The Continuing Resolution that provided USDA with this authority also provides the agency with additional authority to address childhood hunger. We urge USDA to move quickly to issue guidance on the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (P-EBT) to states.
Hungry children can’t wait.
###
For 50 years, the Food Research & Action Center has been the leading national nonprofit organization working to eradicate poverty-related hunger and undernutrition in the United States. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on Twitter and on Facebook.
