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This report measures the reach of breakfast through the Summer Nutrition Programs in July 2017, nationally and in each state. It is a companion piece to FRAC’s Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report, which focuses on summer lunch participation.

School meals programs provide children with the opportunity to receive the nutrition they need throughout the school day. Many households participate in school meals programs to ensure that their children are fed when they are away from home. There are various instances, however, when a household that is not certified for free or reduced-price school meals may not be able to pay for school meals. Reasons for the lack of money on the school lunch account can vary from a change in household income status, a misunderstanding of school meal procedures, or simply forgetting to refill the account. When this occurs, school districts should ensure that communication about the debt is held with the households and not the students. There are several effective strategies for outreach and engagement with households that have school meal debt.

This fact sheet, from the National Women’s Law Center and the Food Research & Action Center, describes how SNAP helps lift and keep low-income women and families out of poverty, and highlights how proposed changes to SNAP in the 2018 House Farm Bill would harm women and families.

The Afterschool Nutrition Programs fill the hunger gap that exists after school for millions of low-income children in rural communities. The programs, which include the Child and Adult Care Afterschool Meal Program and the National School Lunch Program Afterschool Snack Program, provide federal funding to afterschool programs operating in low-income areas to serve meals and snacks to children 18 and under after school, on weekends, and during school holidays.

The Summer Nutrition Programs can fill the hunger gap that exists during summer break for millions of low-income children in rural communities. Pairing summer meals with summer programs addresses the loss in learning that too many low-income children experience over the summer months.

At the end of the community eligibility four-year cycle, school districts must reestablish their identified student percentage (ISP) to continue operating community eligibility. Those that no longer meet the 40 percent-eligibility threshold, but have an ISP of at least 30 percent, can continue to operate community eligibility for an additional year, called the “grace year.”

The School Breakfast Program ensures 12.1 million low-income students across the country start their school day ready to learn. School breakfast is particularly important for low-income students in rural communities who are more likely than their peers in metropolitan areas to live in food-insecure households, and, who often face additional barriers to accessing the program.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation’s first line of defense against hunger, is critically important for rural America. In addition to improving the food security, health, and well-being of participating families, federal SNAP dollars stimulate rural economies through assistance that goes directly to struggling families to purchase food.

No community in America is immune to hunger, including rural areas. Paradoxically, in rural areas that grow most of our nation’s food, households face considerably deeper struggles with hunger than those in metropolitan areas. Millions of working families, veterans, people with disabilities, seniors, and children in rural communities cannot always afford and access enough food for an active, healthy life.

Key actions representing the latest best practices to start or enhance efforts to address food insecurity in health care settings. A joint publication of FRAC, Children’s HealthWatch and Feeding America.

An infographic stating early 1.1 million low-income children benefited from afterschool suppers in October 2016. From FRAC’s first-ever report on participation data in the Afterschool Nutrition Programs.

The School Breakfast Program plays a vital role in supporting children’s health and academic achievement. Still, too many students miss out on school breakfast and the positive outcomes that stem from participation. Just over half of low-income children who participate in school lunch also participate in school breakfast. School nurses can help increase student nutritional intake through school breakfast participation by encouraging their school(s) to implement a breakfast after the bell program and to offer nutritious breakfasts at no cost to all students, particularly in schools or school districts with high concentrations of students certified for free and reduced-price school meals.

FRAC’s first-ever report on the Afterschool Nutrition Programs measures how many children had access to afterschool suppers and snacks in October 2016, nationally and in each state.

The report found that nearly 1.1 million low-income children benefited from afterschool suppers in October 2016, up from just 200,000 in October 2011.

State of the States: Profiles of Hunger, Poverty, and Federal Nutrition Programs

Data profiles are available for every state and for the nation as a whole, and are designed to help states measure how they are faring in using key public nutrition programs to reduce hunger and improve the health and economic security of low-income families.