Resource Library

As states and school districts start to plan and prepare for when school begins, it is critical to think about what changes should be made to meal service to protect students and staff. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Guidance for K-12 Schools and Child Care Programs to Plan, Prepare, and Respond to Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) recommends that school districts ensure students have continued access to meals and that the distribution of meals takes place in a setting that maximizes physical distance. Read this resource to learn more.

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) allows more than 30,000 high poverty schools across the country to offer breakfast and lunch at no charge to all students while eliminating the traditional school meal process and is a smart choice for eligible schools.

Community eligibility allows high-needs schools and districts to meet the nutritional needs of the many low-income families they serve. As the nation struggles to recover from the economic impact of COVID-19, community eligibility offers an important opportunity for schools to respond to the increased need among their students.

Food insecurity, and its root cause, poverty, do not discriminate: they harm individuals, families, and communities across the U.S., regardless of demographics. One group that rarely receives attention for its alarmingly high levels of food insecurity and poverty is Asian Pacific American (APA). This oversight is detrimental for APA people and the nation as a whole.

This one page brief highlights COVID-19 resources for Older Adults, highlighting changes in benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Home-Delivered Meals, and additional Federal Nutritional Programs.

This chart breaks down U.S. Department of Agriculture — Food and Nutrition Services and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — Administration for Community Living programs available to Older Adults surrounding food resources, specifically in response to COVID-19.

This brief explores four available actions to minimize exposure to
COVID-19 through person-to-person contact when it comes to older
adults accessing food.

This letter from FRAC to the U.S. Department of Agriculture comments on the proposed rule, “Simplifying Meal Service and Monitoring Requirements in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs” 85 Fed. Reg. 16273 (March 23, 2020). The proposed rule would weaken nutrition standards, eliminate the guarantee that all children will receive a balanced and healthy school meal regardless of school setting, and diminish the nutritional value of other foods sold in the cafeteria.

FRAC has created this guide to share the options available to school districts and community partners to serve meals, answer commonly asked questions, and share best practices.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act creates the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program, an important opportunity to provide nutritional resources to families who are losing access to free or reduced-price school meals as school across the country close in response to COVID-19. This resource provides information on the program and helpful information for implementation, including helpful resources.

FRAC’s update summarizing the Families First Act’s changes to Child and Adult Care Food Program waivers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) created a State WIC agency template to allow agencies to request the following WIC flexibilities granted under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act gives the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) the authority to issue nationwide waivers to ensure access to meals through the child nutrition programs as communities respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and to issue waivers to increase cost. This resource provides a list of the waivers and was last updated September 21, 2021.

Food insecurity is a social determinant of health affecting tens of millions of Americans. In response to these and other health and economic impacts, the health care sector is increasingly recognizing and investing in strategies that address and alleviate food insecurity such as screening patients for food insecurity and connecting at-risk patients to the federal nutrition programs and other food resources.

This brief provides examples of work by leading medical and health organizations to support Hunger Vital SignTM National Community of Practice members’ efforts to improve the food security of their patients at practice and policy levels — work that ultimately promotes positive health outcomes, addresses longstanding disparities in health, and reduces health care costs.

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it is crucial to preserve access to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food benefits, nutrition and breastfeeding support, and referrals to services. The COVID-19 virus is negatively impacting public health and the American economy, creating significant challenges for low-income people. This resource outlines key actions that WIC, advocates, partner organizations, and State and local policymakers can take to help preserve access to WIC during this pandemic.