Resource Library

The health and economic crises brought on by the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has made the federal nutrition programs more important than ever. A record number of people in America do not have enough to eat, and it is likely that the economic recovery for families who struggle to put food on the table will take years. Recovery will be particularly challenging for those groups that have suffered disproportionate harm from COVID-19. Unlike differences, inequities are the result of the unfair distribution of resources due to structural factors. The goals of this review are to examine the connections between hunger, poverty, health, and equity during COVID-19, and to discuss the role of the federal nutrition programs in the recovery from the pandemic. This white paper begins with the linkages between hunger, poverty, and health during COVID-19. It then details how COVID-19 has exacerbated disparities that predated the pandemic due to systemic injustices. The paper follows with a review of new research on how the federal nutrition programs reduce hunger, poverty, and health, including their efficacy during the pandemic. This paper concludes with policy recommendations to leverage the federal nutrition programs for a robust and equitable recovery.

Children under 6 are now eligible for Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT). Explore this toolkit to learn more about who qualifies and how you can spread the word!

FRAC has developed a communications toolkit to help you spread the word and make the most of the expanded CACFP benefits. The toolkit includes customizable social media graphics and captions, flyers, fact sheets, and email update templates. It also includes links where you can find potentially eligible shelters in your area to connect with.

This resource looks at how schools can play an important role in connecting families with SNAP, possible partnerships for SNAP outreach, SNAP outreach strategies for schools to implement, and spotlights on how a few states are conducting SNAP outreach efforts in schools.

The School Nutrition Programs are vital tools for combating childhood hunger, improving children’s health, and supporting academic achievement. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role of school meals in alleviating childhood food insecurity while also demonstrating the value of offering school meals at no charge to all students. In order to overcome the educational, health, and economic impacts of the pandemic on children and families, and the financial challenges created by the pandemic for school nutrition departments, Healthy School Meals for All should remain the new normal for all schools across the country. This brief provides a case for why.

During the pandemic, the Pandemic EBT program has been a vital nutrition resource for families whose children lost access to free or reduced-price school meals due to school closures. This gap extends to the summer as well. With the limited reach of the Summer Nutrition Programs, there is a need for a complementary program to provide EBT benefits during the summer. This storybook gives a brief background of Pandemic EBT and Summer EBT, what actions are needed to make a Summer EBT program permanent, and, as told in the words of people who benefit from federal nutrition assistance, why this is so important.

This report explores the impact of COVID-19 on access to meals and snacks when schools shuttered during the pandemic by analyzing March, April, and May 2020 meal service data for the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), which includes the meals and snacks served through the Seamless Summer Option, the Summer Food Service Program, and the Afterschool Supper and Snack Programs through the Child and Adult Care Food Program, compared to participation in SBP and NSLP, and the Afterschool Supper and Snack Programs during the same months in 2019. For an in-depth look at April 2020, please see the Food Research & Action Center’s April 2020: A Snapshot of Participation During COVID-19.

As communities continue to recover from COVID-19, school districts, out-of-school time program providers, and community partners have an important role to play in ensuring that all children have access to nutritious breakfasts, lunches, and afterschool snacks and suppers during the upcoming school year. While there are still many unknowns when it comes to the 2021–2022 school year — including what the school day will look like in every district — the recent extension of key nationwide waivers provides school districts and community sponsors much-needed consistency and time to plan for success. This resource provides information on options available for serving meals in the 2021–2022 school year as well as a checklist to guide program implementation. This will be updated as more information is available.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is increasing the monthly value of fruits and vegetables benefits in both the women’s and children’s food packages to $35 per month for four months. This new toolkit details how WIC partners can spread the word about the new benefit increase with networks and partners.

WIC is an important resource during COVID-19. This brief details the change in WIC participation and food costs during the first full year of COVID-19 (March 2020 through February 2021).

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) allows high poverty schools to offer breakfast and lunch at no charge to all students on a four-year cycle. Schools that participate in community eligibility often see increased participation in school meals, allowing more students to experience the many educational and health benefits linked to school meal participation.

Take Action: Congress Must Support Critical Child Nutrition Bills. We urge Members of Congress — in the upcoming Child Nutrition Reauthorization process and economic recovery legislation — to cosponsor and continue to lift up the following bills to strengthen and expand programs.

The Stop Child Hunger Act of 2021 (S. 1831 / H.R. 3519), introduced by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Representative Mike Levin (D-CA), would provide low-income families with children a Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card to purchase food.

Explore the impact of COVID-19 on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Communities, focusing on hunger, poverty, and health.

Explore the impact of COVID-19 on rural communities, focusing on hunger, poverty, and health.

Explore the impact of COVID-19 on households with low income, focusing on hunger, poverty, and health.