FRAC Chat

During the holidays and all year long, millions of individuals and families who struggle against hunger are able to access healthy food with support from the federal nutrition programs. This year, the federal nutrition programs have played a critical role in ensuring people can continue to put food on the table during the twin COVID-19 public health and economic crises. 

To celebrate the nation’s nutrition safety net, FRAC is releasing a seven-part “Remember This December” series that will highlight the impact of seven important federal nutrition programs.

This is the sixth installment of the series, which focuses on summer meals. Read the previous installment on WIC.

FRAC’s Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report released this week finds that 2.8 million children received a lunch through the Summer Nutrition Programs in July 2019, a decrease of 77,000 children from July 2018. The Summer Nutrition Programs provided lunch to only one child for every seven children who participated in free and reduced-price school lunch during the 2018–2019 regular school year.

Although most schools have been shuttered since mid-March, the official end of the school year is here for many states, which means that school districts and sponsors across the country are launching or fine-tuning their summer nutrition programs. These programs are designed to replace school breakfast and lunch, filling a nutrition gap that exists for thousands of low-income children during the summer months.

In the upcoming Child Nutrition Reauthorization, Congress has the opportunity to expand — substantially — children’s access to summer meals. Here are five strategies Congress can employ to strengthen and improve children’s access to the Summer Nutrition Programs.

Summer is a time for lounging by the pool, enjoying a picnic or barbeque, and, of course, catching up on the latest research on hunger, nutrition, and poverty! Strengthen your anti-hunger advocacy muscle this summer by diving into some of FRAC’s newest research, reports, and resources.