Every child deserves access to healthy food year-round—but for millions of children, summer means school is out and they lose easy access to consistent, healthy school meals. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, only about 14 of every 100 children receiving free and reduced-price lunch during the school year participated in summer feeding programs.
During the pandemic, access to healthy food improved over the summer because the Pandemic-EBT program (P-EBT) provided eligible school children with temporary nutrition benefits loaded on EBT cards that are used to purchase food, which improved food access for those who needed it most. Families came to rely on P-EBT as a resource to help them provide their children with nutritious meals during the pandemic. But with the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency this spring, changes are coming to P-EBT that will impact food security for millions. This comes at a time when many families are also struggling with the rising cost of food.
If your PTA or school community has not yet shared how to access summer meals for kids, below is a set of resources that can be used to locate programs and supports to help all families have enough to eat this summer. You can also find information about the changes to summer meals programs, as well as educational activities designed to teach children about hunger and what they can do to ensure all kids go to sleep each night with full bellies.
FOOD ACCESS RESOURCES
- Find out if your state is participating in P-EBT this summer. Starting this summer, P-EBT will be offered on a state-by-state basis—not universally, as it has in the past. You can find a current list of states that have approved plans here.
- Find a food bank near you, using this locator from Feeding America.
- Find free meals for kids near you, using this locator from No Kid Hungry.
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
- Learn what changes are coming to summer meal programs this year. Starting in 2023, families will receive fewer nutrition benefits for their children through the Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT).
- Fight hunger as a family this summer with this free guide. This resource from Feeding America includes activities that parents, caregivers, teachers, and youth workers can use to teach kids about hunger in America and how they can help make a difference.
- Check out the research. This brief from Healthy Eating Research explains the impact of USDA’s child nutrition summer feeding programs during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Explore the data. A new household pulse survey from the U.S. Census Bureau shares nationwide and state-by-state data on food scarcity in America.
