A growing number of states have implemented free lunches for all students in recent years, making the school year easier for families experiencing food insecurity. But summer is a different story.
While new federal summer food programs are applauded by advocates, some states have not been able to implement these initiatives and school officials have struggled to keep families informed about their options and involved in the process.
States have stepped up passing laws for free school meals in 2022 following the end of a national COVID-19 pandemic program that sought to keep students fed.
“Unfortunately, with summer, all of these resources come to a screeching halt, and that’s when the school gates are locked, millions of young people are locked out of their own reliable source of balanced meals,” said Vince Hall, director of government relations for Feeding the World. America.
The USDA published a report last year showing that 44.2 million families in the United States had difficulty purchasing food in 2022, leading to 13 million children living with food insecurity.
States that offer completely free lunches during the school year include Minnesota, New Mexico, Colorado, Vermont, Michigan, Massachusetts, California, and Maine.
“When we feed our children, we are feeding our future – these investments today will produce benefits tomorrow through generations of healthier New Mexicans,” said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) when her state’s measure passed.
While free school lunch programs are catching on, there are no parallel programs for the months outside of the school year.
“I am not aware of any states that offer “free lunches during the school year” that have expanded summer meal options beyond what is available under the federal program,” said Diane Pratt-Heavner, director of media relations for School Nutrition. Association.
Several assistance programs are available to qualifying families. According to the non-profit Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), it states that in 2022, 3 million children were reached through its Summer Nutrition Programs.
And the federal government is launching even more programs this year.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced earlier this year that it is expanding its summer grocery benefits, affecting 21 million children. The Electronic Summer Benefits Transfer will give eligible families a $40 voucher per month per child for food.
But 15 states, most led by Republicans, chose not to receive the benefit due to a lack of capacity to manage it or because they reject the idea of another federal program on the issue.
“COVID-era federal cash benefit programs are not sustainable and do not provide long-term solutions to the problems affecting children and families. An EBT card does nothing to promote nutrition at a time when childhood obesity has become an epidemic,” said Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R). said in a statement.
Other states have emphasized separate programs they are already enrolled in and insist are sufficient.
“To be clear, this does not mean that hungry children will lose access to summer nutrition programs. Nebraska continues to participate in USDA’s existing Summer Food Service Program (SFSB), which better ensures access to nutritious food options and protective services for children in need,” said Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen (R).
Feeding America’s Hall said he hopes these states change their minds and is “very pleased” that more than 70% of states are participating this year.
“We believe the experience of these states will inspire the remaining states to see the tremendous benefits of addressing youth hunger and then bringing the programs home the following summer,” Hall said.
While advocates are excited about expanding free meals, it could fall on already-overburdened families to keep up.
Pratt-Heavner said that in states that have approved free meals for all students, it can be difficult to get families to fill out applications for summer programs when they receive free lunches all school year without any application process.
“As a result, we’ve seen, you know, these free and reduced rates go down, and that affects the area’s eligibility for summer meal programs,” she said.
Some advocacy groups have created resources to help families know how and when to apply.
“We’ve been concerned about this,” said Kelsey Boone, senior child nutrition policy analyst at FRAC, adding that they are different from pandemic programs that allowed students who received free meals to get other benefits without applying.
“We are aware that this is a disclosure issue. This is something that organizations as well as states will really need to be aware of who needs to enroll in the program,” Boone said.
“We at FRAC did a family page […] which directly answers some of these questions and can filter people to their state’s website so they know whether or not they need to sign up and how to sign up. We really encourage states to be very proactive in their outreach and really get the message across that families need to check whether or not they will need to fill out an application to receive benefits,” she added.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
