FRAC Chat

July 2022 marks the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) signing, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of public life. The ADA’s protections have contributed to greater equity for people with disabilities but much more is needed to achieve disability economic justice.

A paper released this spring by The Century Foundation, FRAC, and other founding members of the Disability Economic Justice Collaborative (DEJC) points to disparate rates of food insufficiency among people with disabilities and explains the importance of strengthening the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as part of a comprehensive strategy to promote disability economic justice.

This Pride month, FRAC is excited to be joining the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) in releasing a new two-part resource (quick facts sheet, programs chart) to help connect LGBTQ individuals and families with low incomes to key federal nutrition programs. Learn more about these resources.

On Friday, June 24, 2022, Congress passed the Keep Kids Fed Act (S. 2089), a bipartisan and bicameral bill to help mitigate the impact of the loss of the child nutrition waivers due to expire next Thursday, June 30, 2022. This bill is an important first step that would increase reimbursements to schools and child care centers, support access to summer meals, and streamline access to healthy meals for children in family child care.

The bill was introduced in the House by House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and in the Senate by Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR). Learn more about the provisions of the Keep Kids Fed Act.

Families with young children in the United States are facing a hunger crisis.

During the pandemic, Stanford’s RAPID survey has been tracking hunger among American families with young children. Before the pandemic, 18% of RAPID families with young children were experiencing hunger, and by October 2020, this number had risen to 30%. Hunger gradually decreased during 2021 but remained consistently above pre-pandemic levels.

This September, the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health will take place with the goal of ending hunger and reducing diet-related diseases and disparities in the U.S. by 2030.

FRAC, along with other anti-hunger organizations underscored five priorities for the conference.

To ensure these priorities are put into the forefront during the conference, FRAC nominated several people to speak about their lived experiences with hunger during a series of virtual, regional listening sessions hosted by the White House. They shared their stories and recommendations during these sessions.

In a blog series, we will share the remarks of a few of the advocates who spoke during these sessions. This blog shares the remarks from Diane Sullivan, Co-Founder of Equitable Spaces.