Resource Library

The Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act would provide free breakfast and lunch to all students attending schools that participate in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) during the 2020–2021 school year.

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

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.

On February 10, 2020, President Trump released his fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget proposal, which recycles many of the harmful proposals in the president’s previous budgets. In it, he proposes huge cuts to overall USDA funding and devastating cuts to SNAP and child nutrition programs. This analysis highlights areas of the budget that fund key anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs and how the proposed budget, if implemented, would harm the health and well-being of millions of people in our country.

DHS’ Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds final rule went into effect on February 24, 2020, and anti-hunger and nutrition stakeholders have important roles to play in providing basic facts about SNAP and other public benefit programs and in providing referrals to reliable legal resources on public charge questions. This FAQ provides information on the DHS public charge rule and how the rule intersects with the food security of immigrant families. This FAQ does not constitute legal advice or take the place of legal advice from an immigration attorney.

The Trump Administration’s new Department of Homeland Security public charge rule does not include receiving free or reduced-price school meals. The new rule directly impacts a relatively small group of people, but it is expected to have a broader “chilling effect” that will reduce the number of immigrant families applying for benefits, including school meals. This resource helps make sense of the landscape by answering key questions.

The “Reimbursement Rates and Income Guidelines for the Federal Child Nutrition Programs” chart contains rates and income guidelines for:

School Meals and Afterschool Snacks (July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020);

Summer Food Service Program (January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020);

Child and Adult Care Food Program (July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020); and

Income Guidelines for the Child Nutrition Programs (July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020).

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 Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) urges Congress to enact legislation that supports and strengthens program access and participation by underserved children and communities; ensures nutrition quality; and simplifies program administration and operation. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of the federal child nutrition programs, and a number of policy improvements that were made during COVID-19 should be implemented permanently by Congress. Legislation should also maintain and build upon the critical gains made in the last child nutrition reauthorization. In order to achieve these goals, FRAC asks Congress to make the following improvements to the child nutrition programs.

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.