On Thursday, September 9, 2021, the House Committee on Education and Labor will mark up its portion of the Build Back Better Act, which includes nearly $35 billion in funding for the Child Nutrition Programs. These critical investments will allow the nation to build back better, ensuring children have access to the nutrition they need year-round and helping overcome the educational, health, and economic impacts of the pandemic.
Momentum for healthy school meals for all at no charge is building across the country.
On August 18, the anti-hunger advocates from coast to coast raised their hand to show support for school nutrition programs and urge Congress to address childhood hunger by making free school meals for all children permanent.
On August 16, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that its reevaluation of the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) will result in an increase in average monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits of $36.24 per person compared with pre-COVID-19 levels. Average SNAP benefits will rise from the pre-COVID-19 amount of $4.20 per person per day to $5.39. The change will be implemented October 1, 2021, the start of federal fiscal year 2022.