Resource Library

The next pandemic relief legislation passed by Congress must ensure that children can access the healthy food they need through child nutrition programs, including at school and during the summer. The following three provisions designed to support economic recovery and provide pandemic relief recently came close to being enacted and now must be included in the next piece of legislation.

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.

Children under six who are enrolled in SNAP in the last month of the school year, or at any point over the covered summer period, are eligible for 2021 summer P-EBT benefits. SNAP-enrolled infants who are born before the end of the covered summer period are also eligible for P-EBT benefits for the entire covered summer period. Explore this one page fact sheet to learn more.

The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program provides nutritional resources to families who have lost access to free or reduced-price meals due to school or child care closures. In the American Rescue Plan, passed in March 2021, Congress extended P-EBT to any “covered summer period” that followed a school year when a public health emergency due to COVID-19 had been declared. The program will provide money on a new or existing EBT card to help fill the summer meals gap left by the inability to access meals during the summer. This resource has answers to frequently asked questions regarding P-EBT during summer 2021.

Launch page to open interactive map and tables for 2020 summer nutrition reports (with data on summer programs in July 2019)

The critical role that breakfast plays in
children’s overall well-being does not end when the
school year does.

FRAC has developed a communications toolkit to help you spread the word about the benefits of summer nutrition programs.

The need to expand the reach of the Summer
Nutrition Programs is more important than ever as
communities continue to respond to COVID-19’s
impacts on food security, education, and the economy.

The Summer EBT program can reduce summer hunger by providing additional resources to purchase food during the summer months for families whose children are certified to receive free or reduced-price school meals during the school year. Summer EBT is a complement to the Summer Nutrition Programs and can help reduce food insecurity for low-income families, particularly in areas with limited access to summer meals.

The Summer Meals Act of 2021 (S. 1170 / H.R. 783), introduced by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Representatives Don Young (R-AK) and Rick Larsen (D-WA), would increase the reach of the Summer Nutrition Programs. The Summer Nutrition Programs help close the summer nutrition gap and support educational and enrichment programs that keep children learning, engaged, and safe when school is out.

The Stop Child Summer Hunger Act of 2019 (S. 1941 / H.R. 3378), introduced by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Representative Susan Davis (D-CA), would provide low-income families with children a Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card to purchase food. This bill provides additional support for families with children during the summer months and does not replace the existing Summer Nutrition Programs.

Community roundtable discussions are effective and valuable tools to connect local advocates and stakeholders with their Members of Congress during congressional recesses and whenever Members are home. Combining a community roundtable with a site visit offers a unique way for Members to see firsthand the importance of programs, like summer meals, followed by a roundtable discussion that provides a diverse group of advocates and stakeholders a forum to engage.

Interactive maps and tables providing state-by-state data on participation in breakfast and lunch service through the Summer Nutrition Programs.

The Summer Nutrition Programs play a critical role in closing the summer nutrition gap that exists for low-income families when the school year — and access to school breakfast and lunch — ends.

To make sure you have everything you need to show policymakers that there are too many children in your state missing out on free summer meals, FRAC has developed a communications toolkit for states.

This report measures the reach of the Summer Nutrition Programs in July 2018, nationally and in each state. A companion piece, FRAC’s Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Breakfast Status Report, focuses on summer breakfast participation.