Afterschool Nutrition Program Participation Were Rising Before COVID
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Leaders Fear Stricter Lunch Program Eligibility Could Make It Harder for Students to Eat
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Millions of Americans going hungry as pandemic erodes incomes and destroys communities
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Black Communities Face Wider Food Shortfalls as COVID Saps Jobs
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Relief Package A Good Start. But More Help Is Needed.
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SNAP increases for older adults should be a bipartisan no-brainer
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Fighting Food Insecurity Amid COVID-19, Groups Advocate For 15% Food Stamp Boost
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News Highlights
- May 2021COVID-19
Nutrition Support on the Way for Children and Families — Mom’s Rising Breaking Through with Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, May 3, 2021
Healthy School Meals for All
Sen. Gillibrand, Local Officials Make Case for Permanent Free Meals for All School Students — News 12 (Bronx, NY), May 17, 2021
‘Put Kids First,’ Say Advocates in Call for Universal Free School Meals — FERN’s Ag Insider, May 12, 2021
Local Groups Urging Congress to Approve Bill Giving All Kids Free School Meals Permanently — FOX4 News Kansas City, May 11, 2021
Screen & Intervene: A Toolkit for Pediatricians to Address Food Insecurity
Call, Tweet and Email. Public Needs to Tell Ohio Policymakers to Make Ending Childhood Hunger A Top Priority. — The Columbus Dispatch, May 7, 2021
- April 2021COVID-19
USDA Moves to Feed Millions of Children Over the Summer — NPR, April 26, 2021
Child-Hunger Advocates Hope Biden’s Expansion of P-EBT Becomes A Permanent Solution to Summer Food Needs — FERN’s Ag Insider, April 26, 2021
Biden is About to Send $1 billion More in Food Stamps to the 25 Million Neediest Americans — News Channel Nebraska, April 2, 2021
Long Lines for Free Food Persist More Than a Year into the Pandemic, Causing Concern Among Advocates — The Connecticut Mirror, April 12, 2021
Proposed Change to Pa. Rules of Declaring a Disaster May Endanger Emergency Food Stamps, Advocates Say— The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 15, 2021
WIC
WIC Has Proven Effective in Improving the Health of Children and Mothers. This Could Be a Big Year for the Program — The Counter, April 15, 2021
School Meals
USDA Extends Waivers on School Food Program That Feeds Hungry Kids — FERN’s AG Insider, April 21, 2021
Hartzler, Schrier Lead Legislation for Affordable School Lunch — Public Now, April 21, 2021
School Meals: The Impact of the Pandemic on 54 Large School Districts Report
One on One: How Chicago Public Schools is Feeding Every Student — Food Management, April 2, 2021
- March 2021School Meals: The Impact of the Pandemic on 54 Large School Districts Report
Report Shows Huge Drop in School Meal Counts for Country’s Largest Districts — Food Management, March 11, 2021
New Study Reveals Impact Of COVID-19 On Nation’s Largest School Districts — Food Service Director, March 11, 2021
D.C. Schools Lagged Nation in Providing Meals During COVID-19, Report Finds — WTOP, March 11, 2021
2021 School Breakfast Scorecard
Vermont Ranks Second for Number of Low-Income Children Eating Breakfast at School — Vermont Business Forum, March 11, 2021
Education Can Mean More Than Books – For Some, It Means a Meal — KNWA-TV (Fort Smith, AR), March 18, 2021
COVID-19
COVID Relief Bill Could Permanently Alter Social Safety Net — Associated Press, March 11, 2021
The Price of Food and Gas is Creeping Higher – and Will Stay That Way for a While – NBC News, March 1, 2021
Stories of Insecurity: COVID-19 Leading to More Empty Stomachs – York News-Times, March 5, 2021
Latest Stimulus Bill Expands 15 Percent Food Stamp Boost Through September. Here’s What You Need to Know. — CNBC, March 19, 2021
Vilsack Calls for Structural Changes in U.S. Food Distribution Systems to Deal with Hunger, Equity — FERN AG Insider, March 17, 2021
School Meals
USDA Extends School Meal Waivers Through September — FERN’s AG Insider, March 10, 2021
USDA Announces Free School Meals for Youths Through Summer — The Washington Post, March 9, 2021
Why Don’t America’s Public Schoolchildren Get Universal Free Lunch? — Eater, March 9, 2021
Lawmakers Plan Expansion of Child Feeding Programs — Agri-Pulse, March 24, 2021
The People Behind School Meals Are Pushing for Free Access for All — Civil Eats, March 8, 2021
Stabenow, Boozman Urge Congress to Make Child Nutrition a Priority This Year — FERN AG Insider, March 18, 2021
The School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program: A Primer — American Action Forum, March 31, 2021
- February 20212021 School Breakfast Scorecard
Utah Ranks Last on School Breakfast Scorecard; New Report Underscores the Importance of School Breakfast – St. George News, February 16, 2021
DOE Improves Free School Breakfast Program During Pandemic – Hawaii Public Radio, February 16, 2021
NJ Schools Skipping Mandate to Serve Breakfast, Group Says – WKXW-FM (Trenton, NJ), February 14, 2021
PM News Brief: Utah Breakfast Programs – KUER (NPR Utah), February 11, 2021
Hawaii Ranks 50th in Low-Income Children Participating in National School Breakfast Program – Maui Now, February 11, 2021
NJ Dropped in National School Breakfast Rankings, Report Says – Cape May County Herald, February 11, 2021
Drop in Number of Low-Income NJ Children Who Received Free or Reduced-Price School Breakfast – NJ Spotlight News, February 11, 2021
6 Things to know about school breakfast participation before COVID-19 – Food Service Director, February 11, 2021
New Report Underscores Importance of School Breakfast Participation in Utah – ETV News, February 12, 2021
FRAC Says Free School Breakfast Is Crucial to Addressing Hunger, Academic Performance – FERN’s AG Insider, February 8, 2021
Chobani Child Hunger Summit
Chobani Hosts First Virtual Child Hunger Summit on February 23 – Associated Press, February 17, 2021
COVID-19
Why Biden’s Effort to Shore Up SNAP Is So Important to Black and Brown Communities – NBC LX, February 8, 2021
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
SNAP Online Availability is About to Explode. But Grocers Say They Still Face Too Many Hurdles. – Grocery Dive, February 16, 2021
College Students Struggle to Enroll in SNAP – but Peer Support Programs Help – Civil Eats, February 16, 2021
Pandemic EBT
SNAP Boost and Pandemic EBT – Arizona PBS Cronkite News, February 4, 2021
School Meals
California State Senator Nancy Skinner Introduces Bill to Ensure School Meals for All Kids – Sierra Sun Times, February 11, 2021
- January 2021COVID-19
First 100 days: From targeted assistance to SNAP reform, how Biden should tackle the hunger crisis – FERN’s Ag Insider, January 20, 2021
What If Free School Meals Became the Norm After the Pandemic Ends? – Truthout, January 3, 2021
- December 2020Yahoo Finance Live: Food Insecurity in America Event
Families Need More ‘Food Assistance’ to Help Them Prepare for the Next COVID Wave: FRAC President on Food insecurity — Yahoo Finance Live, December 2, 2020
COVID-19
New Stimulus Package Makes It Easier to Qualify for Food Stamps. Here’s What You Need to Know – CNBC, December 30, 2020
Food Insecurity – Julianne Malveaux Radio Talk Show (WPFW-FM), December 28, 2020
$13 Billion SNAP Boost Is One of The Best Deals in Latest COVID-19 Aid Package. Here’s Why. – NBC News, December 25, 2020
What Will the New Stimulus Package Mean for the Nearly 50 Million Food-Insecure Americans? — The Washington Post, December 22, 2020
Food Insecurity in America — BBC World News, December 21, 2020
Congress Expanded SNAP Benefits During the Last Recession — and Should Do It Again — Vox, December 19, 2020
Americans Are Going Hungry — The Atlantic’s Social Distance, December 14, 2020
Millions of Hungry Americans Turn to Food Banks for 1st Time — The Associated Press, December 7, 2020
Texas Food Banks May Be Less Equipped to Help Hungry Households in The New Year — The Texas Tribune, December 7, 2020
9 Ways to Help People Facing Hunger in Your Community — SELF, December 1, 2020
Pandemic EBT
Low-Income Children Wait Months for USDA Food Aid to Replace School Meals — POLITICO, December 20, 2020
- November 2020Biden Transition
How America’s Approach To Poverty Could Change in a Biden Administration, Congress willing — Philadelphia Inquirer, November 12, 2020
COVID-19
From Jobs to Child Care: How This Second Surge in COVID-19 Can Damage Your Finances — As Well As Your Health — MarketWatch, November 29, 2020
‘No End In Sight’: Hunger Surges in America Amid a Spiraling Pandemic’ — The Guardian, November 20, 2020
‘There Is Always a Need for food assistance’: 10 Ways You Can Help People This Thanksgiving — MarketWatch, November 20, 2020
‘We Wish We Had a Crystal Ball’: Food Bank Leader Expects Heightened Need to Persist — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 25, 2020
Hunger Crisis: 1 in 5 Americans Turning to Food Banks — Consumer Reports, November 2, 2020
School Meals
Coronavirus Means School Food Is Free Across the U.S. What If It Stayed That Way? — The Hechinger Report, November 24, 2020
- October 2020FRAC Report: Afterschool Suppers
Less NJ Kids Used After-School Meals Before Surge in Hunger — New Jersey Patch, October 29, 2020
More Ohio Kids Using After-School Meals to Avoid Hunger — Ohio Patch, October 27, 2020
More NC Kids Using After-School Meals to Avoid Hunger — North Carolina Patch, October 26, 2020
Study: Afterschool Nutrition Program Counts Were Rising Before COVID — Food Management, October 21, 2020
Study: Participation in Afterschool Nutrition Programs was Rising before Pandemic — FERN, October 20, 2020
COVID-19
Coronavirus Stimulus Latest: Bill May Not Pass Until After the Election, Pelosi Says — WGN America’s NewsNation, October 21, 2020
Pandemic Pushes U.S. Child Hunger to the Brink — Patch, October 16, 2020
“Staggering” Need: COVID-19 Has Led to Rising Levels in Food Insecurity Across the U.S. — CBS News Online, October 14, 2020
Advocates Worry ‘Food Insecurity’ Gains Could Be Upended by COVID-19 — Arizona PBS Cronkite News, October 12, 2020
Food to Share Funding Extends Reach to Food Insecure — The San Joaquin Valley Sun, October 1, 2020
SNAP
Trump Fights in Court to Block Pandemic Food Aid for Lowest-Income Americans — POLITICO, October 26, 2020
With Trump Rule, Food-Insecure Immigrants Have Few Options — FERN, October 27, 2020
Infants in Food Insecure Homes at Greater Obesity Risk, Study Finds — VeryWell Health, October 2, 2020
Child Nutrition Programs
Focus Atlanta — Atlanta CW69, October 2, 2020
- September 2020FRAC Report: Not Enough to Eat
Feeding Youth Outside of School During COVID-19 — CitiesSpeak, September 25, 2020
Study: 29 Million American Adults Don’t Have Enough to Eat—Nearly a Threefold Increase From Two Years Ago – The Counter, September 16, 2020
We Must Act Now: ‘Hungry Families Can’t Wait’ – The New York Times, September 16, 2020
Federal Nutrition Programs Respond to America’s Deepening Hunger — The Washington Post, September 15, 2020
COVID-19
Senate Approves CR, Sends Bill to Trump — The Fence Post, September 30, 2020
Food Insecurity in the U.S. by the Numbers — NPR, September 27, 2020
Rural and Native Communities Are Hard Hit by COVID-Era Food Insecurity – Truthout, September 13, 2020
Child Nutrition Programs
Millions of Children May Miss Pandemic Food Aid As States Scramble to Meet Trump Administration Mandate – POLITICO, September 19, 2020
Advocates Push Congress to Act to Curb Child Hunger – National Journal, September 8, 2020
Young People Are Fighting Hunger and Finding Purpose – The New York Times, September 1, 2020
- August 2020SNAP
Hunger in Texas Doubles During Pandemic — KAMR-TV, August 14, 2020
Make Ends Meet: A Pandemic Plan to Help with Lunch — WAVE 3 News, August 7, 2020
New on the Podcast: The Future of Food Policy Has Big Implications for the Environment – Food Tank, August 20, 2020
Child Nutrition Programs
School Leaders Fear That Stricter Lunch Program Eligibility in The Fall Could Make It Harder for Students to Eat – The Washington Post, August 25, 2020
Agriculture Secretary Perdue Is Ending Free Meals for All Students, but Advocates and Members of Congress Say It’s Too Soon – The 74, August 25, 2020
When Students Study Remotely, Who Feeds Them? – Next City, August 27, 2020
Food Insecurity
Why Grocery Stores Are Avoiding Black Neighborhoods – CNBC Digital, August 20, 2020
Debt, Eviction and Hunger: Millions Fall Back into Crisis as Stimulus and Safety Nets Vanish — The Washington Post, August 23, 2020
- July 2020SNAP
SNAP increases for older adults should be a bipartisan no-brainer — The Hill, July 4, 2020
Fighting Food Insecurity Amid COVID-19, Groups Advocate For 15% Food Stamp Boost — Forbes, July 8, 2020
Farm, Rural, Nutrition Groups Make Case for More COVID-19 Aid — Progressive Farmer, July 21, 2020
Crisis del coronavirus: Se aproxima la fecha límite para solicitar ayuda del programa P-EBT en Texas — Univision, July 23, 2020
Senate GOP won’t extend pandemic food stamps but doubles ‘three-martini lunch’ deduction – The Washington Post, July 28, 2020
The Case for a Boost to SNAP — National Journal, July 30, 2020
Food Insecurity
Stark racial disparities emerge as families struggle to get enough food — POLITICO, July 6, 2020
Millions of Americans going hungry as pandemic erodes incomes and destroys communities — NBC News, July 7, 2020
Meal Programs Scramble to Feed More Hungry Children — The New York Times, July 8, 2020
Report: Coronavirus worsens food insecurity in the South — FERN’s AG Insider, July 19, 2020
- June 2020SNAP
A grassroots push for higher SNAP benefits — FERN’s AG Insider, June 23, 2020
Children Nutrition Programs
Kids could go hungry this summer with school lunch programs in peril — The Washington Post, June 4, 2020
School nutrition group to USDA: Provide free meals for all students in 2020-21 — Education Dive, June 4, 2020
COVID-19 Has Heightened the Threat of Child Hunger, While Efforts to Prevent It Have Fallen Short — U.S. News & World Report, June 16, 2020
Food Insecurity
Few farm groups speak out on George Floyd’s death or protests that followed — FERN’s AG Insider, June 3, 2020
Black Communities Face Wider Food Shortfalls as Covid Saps Jobs — Bloomberg Government, June 16, 2020
- May 2020SNAP
For Most Food Stamp Users, Online Shopping Isn’t an Option — The New York Times, May 1, 2020
Coronavirus is exacerbating America’s hunger crisis — Vox, May 11, 2020
‘Food stamps should be nonpartisan’: Sen. Gillibrand wants to increase federal food assistance — New York Daily News, May 19, 2020
Child Nutrition Programs
States Are Embracing Extra Funds from Pandemic EBT to Cover Missing School Meals — Civil Eats, May 4, 2020
California wanted to extend free school meals to hungry parents and guardians. The federal government said no. — The New York Times, May 8, 2020
California wants to feed students’ families. The USDA says no. Some states are doing it anyway. — The Washington Post, May 11, 2020
Schools are feeding millions of children. Now they face huge losses. — FERN’s AG Insider, May 18, 2020
Hunger Program’s Slow Start Leaves Millions of Children Waiting — The New York Times, May 26, 2020
‘Not moving fast enough’: Millions of children still without food aid — CNN, May 31, 2020
Food Insecurity
April saw the sharpest increase in grocery store prices in nearly 50 years — The Washington Post, May 12, 2020
- April 2020SNAP
Governors plead for food stamp flexibility amid pandemic — The Associated Press, April 6, 2020
Most SNAP recipients can’t buy groceries online. Now, some states push for change. — FERN’s AG Insider, April 6, 2020
Baltimore leaders ask state for more help ensuring food is accessible during coronavirus shutdowns — The Baltimore Sun, April 7, 2020
Online grocery shopping becoming available to a quarter of SNAP recipients — FERN’s AG Insider, April 8, 2020
Child Nutrition Programs
For schools, a new challenge: How to feed students during spring break? — The Washington Post, April 6, 2020
Millions of low-income children are still waiting for federal food aid — CNN, April 9, 2020
Schools Transform Into ‘Relief’ Kitchens, but Federal Aid Fails to Keep Up — The New York Times, April 19, 2020
Food Insecurity
Daybreak April 2: Farmers, allies appeal to USDA for COVID-19 relief — AgriPulse, April 2, 2020
‘We may have to ration’: US food banks face shortages as demand surges — The Guardian, April 17, 2020
Feeding the hungry and saving farms — The Boston Globe, April 17, 2020
- March 2020SNAP
Amid a Pandemic, Trump Moves Forward With Safety Net Cuts — The New York Times, March 13, 2020
Coronavirus Pandemic Saves Poor Americans From Food Stamp Cuts — Bloomberg, March 15, 2020
Covid-19 relief bill suspends SNAP work and training requirements — FERN’s AG Insider, March 15, 2020
USDA to appeal ruling, seeks food stamp change amid pandemic — The Associated Press, March 18, 2020
USDA will appeal order blocking it from purging food stamp recipients — The Hill, March 18, 2020
Trump Administration Moving Forward With April 1 Plan to Kick 700,000 Off Food Stamps Despite Coronavirus Crisis — Vanity Fair, March 19, 2020
Pelosi backs higher SNAP benefits for next coronavirus bill — FERN’s AG Insider, March 26, 2020
Relief Package A Good Start, Say Advocates For The Poor. But More Help Is Needed. — National Public Radio, March 27, 2020
Child Nutrition Programs
‘Do we really want to close schools?’ U.S. authorities resist coronavirus closures — Reuters, March 6, 2020
As Coronavirus Closes Schools, USDA Offers Limited Help to Kids Who Rely on School Meals — Civil Eats, March 6, 2020
Coronavirus Is Closing Schools. What Does That Mean for Kids Who Rely on School Meals? — Eater, March 9, 2020
USDA will help ‘keep the kids fed’ during Covid-19, says Perdue — FERN’s AG Insider, March 9, 2020
Coronavirus is closing more schools. What happens to students who depend on school lunches? — NBC, March 10, 2020
Schools hamstrung over feeding students as coronavirus leads to closures — POLITICO, March 10, 2020
Save Our City: Why does NYC lag in getting schoolchildren free breakfast? — New York Post, March 11, 2020
Coronavirus Demonstrates Why America Needs a Basic Income — Medium, March 17, 2020
Food Insecurity
Nutrition assistance expands as pandemic impact deepens — FERN’s AG Insider, March 1, 2020
- February 2020SNAP
White House renews call for broader work rules for SNAP — FERN’s AG Insider, February 10, 2020
Child Nutrition Programs
This Spud’s For You — HuffPost, February 2, 2020
Number of low-income children eating school breakfast hits plateau — FERN’s AG Insider, February 12, 2020
Newark Schools Feed 90 Percent Of Students Breakfast: Study — Patch, February 13, 2020
Food Research & Action Center School Breakfast Scorecard shows school breakfast participation up slightly overall, but flat among low-income students — Food Management, February 18, 2020
How Bad Are Things? Debt Relief Has Become A Cause — Forbes, February 25, 2020
Food Insecurity
Putting hunger back on our policy menu — The Hill, February 8, 2020
- January 2020SNAP
Lawsuit filed over Trump administration’s SNAP rule limiting access to food stamps — ABC, January 16, 2020
Democrat-Led States Sue To Block Trump Food Benefit Cut — HuffPost, January 16, 2020
3 States Moving to Make More SNAP Recipients Eligible for Hot Meals — Civil Eats, January 21, 2020
Child Nutrition Programs
Rollback proposed for Michelle Obama school lunch guidelines — The Associated Press, January 17, 2020
How Trump’s USDA wants to change rules around school nutrition — PBS, January 17, 2020
Trump plan lowers quality of school meals, say former ag secretaries — FERN’s AG Insider, January 26, 2020
- December 2019SNAP
Nearly 700,000 Americans could lose food stamps under Trump administration plan — CBS News, December 4, 2019
668,000 will lose food stamp benefits under new work rules — The Associated Press, December 4, 2019
USDA tightens SNAP work rules to cut nearly 700,000 off rolls — AgriPulse, December 4, 2019
How Trump’s New Food Stamp Rule Could Impact Nearly 700,000 Vulnerable Americans — TIME, December 6, 2019
Take Action Now: Stand Up for Our Climate — The Nation, December 12, 2019
Trump’s food stamp cuts begin soon – and black Americans to be hardest hit — The Guardian, December 19, 2019
Child Nutrition Programs
Kindergarten student earns enough money from cocoa stand to pay off 123 students’ lunch debt at her school — New York Daily News, December 17, 2019
- November 2019Child Nutrition Programs
Students Who Eat Breakfast Perform Better on Standardized Tests, Study Finds — Newsweek, November 20, 2019
Sizing up Warren’s plan for black farmers — POLITICO, November 27, 2019
- October 2019Child Nutrition Programs
School lunch debt and lunch shaming is a problem that needs a national solution — NBC News, October 16, 2019
What’s for lunch? At some schools, everyone eats the same thing. — The Washington Post, October 21, 2019
Free school meals for nearly a million poor children are in jeopardy under proposed Trump rule change — The Washington Post, October 23, 2019
‘Sitting in class hungry’: Schools wary of Trump plan to end free school lunches for some — USA Today, October 27, 2019
What’s for lunch? — The Washington Post, October 28, 2019
Food Insecurity
Food scholarships. Homeless shelters. Emergency loans. — Food Environment & Reporting Network, October 28, 2019
- September 2019SNAP
Agriculture Department Flooded With Appeals to Stop Food Stamp Purge — The New York Times, September 23, 2019
Child Nutrition Programs
The number of low-income children served after-school food in New Jersey is rising — The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 5, 2019
Food Insecurity
Cities, Migrant Allies Decry Newest ‘Public Charge’ Crackdown — Bloomberg Government, September 4, 2019
Food insecurity declines to prerecession levels — AgriPulse, September 4, 2019
- August 2019SNAP
New Trump Food Stamp Rules Could Kick Entire Schools off Free Meals — VICE News, August 8, 2019
Trump immigration plan could raise hunger in America — The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 13, 2019
Proposed SNAP rule would affect schools that provide free meals to all — Education Dive, August 29, 2019