COVID-19 Dramatically Deepening America’s Hunger Crisis, Report Finds

WASHINGTON, September 15, 2020 — Between 26–29 million adults living in the United States reported that members of their households sometimes or often did not have enough to eat during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report commissioned by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). Not Enough to Eat: COVID-19 Deepens America’s Hunger Crisis finds that Black and Latinx households, women, and children have been particularly hit hard during the pandemic. The report also underscores how the struggle to put food on the table would be far worse if not for federal nutrition programs.

Food Research & Action Center Commends USDA Decision to Extend Child Nutrition Waivers, But Warns More Must be Done to Mitigate Hunger

WASHINGTON, August 31, 2020 — The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) commends the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for heeding the anti-hunger, education, youth-serving communities’ and bi-partisan call 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.

Food Research & Action Center Urges Secretary Perdue to Heed the Bipartisan Call to Extend Child Nutrition Waivers

WASHINGTON, August 19, 2020 — The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) is calling on Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to use his authority to extend the child nutrition waivers that were available in the spring through the 2020-2021 school year to ensure schools and private nonprofit organizations have the flexibility needed to ensure that children who rely on free and reduced-price school meals still get the nutrition they need while schools are shuttered or have schedules that include both remote and in-classroom learning.

Summer Meal Programs Put Food on the Table, but Increased Participation is Needed to Offset COVID-19 Hunger, Report Finds

WASHINGTON, August 4, 2020 — Too many children across the country are missing out on the nutrition they need during the summer months when the school year — and access to school breakfast and lunch — ends, according to a new report released today by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). The Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report finds 2.8 million children received summer lunch on an average weekday in July 2019, reaching only one child for every 7 low-income children who participated in school lunch during the 2018-2019 school year. Even fewer children — 1.5 million — ate breakfast at a summer meals site in July 2019, according to a companion report.