Participation in summer school meals took a hit in July 2023, the first summer since 2020 that children could not benefit from pandemic-era waivers.
Both breakfast and lunch participation in the Summer Nutrition Program declined year over year in July 2023, according to a report released Aug. 6 by the Food Research & Action Center.
A bright spot for FRAC, however, is that more children were expected to have access to summer meals programs this summer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s launch this year of its Summer Electronic Transfer Benefit program, known as SUN Bucks. The new program provides $120 per eligible school-aged child to families over the summer to purchase groceries.
This summer, USDA also began the SUN Meals program, which offers free meals and snacks at designated community sites for children up to age 18.
Thirteen states did not opt for the new benefits this year, according to FRAC. Some state leaders rejected the benefits as unnecessary alongside other federal initiatives or citing barriers such as the requirement that states cover 50% of the program's administrative costs.
Iowa, for instance, declined to participate in Summer EBT this year because it would cost the state an additional $2.2 million in administrative costs.
“Federal COVID-era cash benefit programs are not sustainable and don’t provide long-term solutions for the issues impacting children and families. An EBT card does nothing to promote nutrition at a time when childhood obesity has become an epidemic,” said Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds in a statement.
Here's a look at FRAC data showing the shifts in summer meal participation for July 2023 compared to July 2022 and pre-pandemic levels.
