The loss of pandemic-era waivers led to a nationwide drop in children participating in the Summer Nutrition Programs, according to a report released Aug. 6 by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC).
Nearly 171,000 fewer children benefited from meals served through the Summer Nutrition Programs in 2023 compared to the previous year. Put another way, just 15 children received summer lunch for every 100 who received a free or reduced-price school lunch during the previous school year.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal waivers allowed meal sites to operate in all communities, and sites could offer meals that families could pick up and take home for off-site consumption. The only flexibility that remains is that sites in underserved rural areas can offer meals to families for off-site consumption.
These waivers were unavailable in summer 2023, and most sites reverted to pre-pandemic operations, the report shows. Without the waivers, summer meal sites must be located in areas where at least half of the children are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals or at least half of the children served by the site must be eligible, which eliminates access to summer meals in many communities with significant numbers of children who rely on school meals during the academic year.
The Summer Nutrition Programs play an important role in reducing childhood hunger during the summer, and often provide important educational and enrichment programming that combined keep children and teens well-nourished and engaged, according to FRAC leadership.
“Summer meals help keep hunger at bay so that children can enjoy their break and return to school in the fall healthy and ready to learn,” said Crystal FitzSimons, interim president at FRAC. “Maximizing the opportunities available this summer and beyond will be critical to ensuring that children have the nutrition, and the education and enrichment programming, they need to learn and thrive. Now is the time to recommit to ending summer hunger, and more must be done.”
Among the findings outlined in the report, participation in:
- Summer lunch decreased by 5.7 percent in July 2023 compared to July 2022
- Summer lunch in July 2023 was slightly higher than pre-pandemic levels, with about 30,500 more children having participated in July 2023 compared to July 2019 (the last summer before the pandemic)
- Summer breakfast in July 2023 was slightly lower than July 2022, with a about 287,000 fewer children participating in 2023
There was a bright spot outlined in the report, however: More children were expected to have access to summer meals programs in 2024 with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) launch of the permanent Summer Electronic Transfer Benefit (EBT) program.
The new program, known as SUN Bucks, provides $120 per eligible school-aged child to families over the summer to purchase groceries. The USDA also began the SUN Meals program, which offers free meals and snacks at designated community sites for children up to age 18.
Thirty-seven states, the District of Columbia, all five U.S. territories and two Tribes, are participating in the new nationwide Summer EBT Program, according to the USDA.
To ensure more children have access to the meals and the educational and enrichment activities they need during the summer, the FRAC report recommends Congress expand summer meal site eligibility, allow all sites to serve three meals (instead of two), streamline operations so summer sites can operate after school and on weekends during the school year, and provide more funding for summer programs.
Read the full report.
