In a major step towards ending childhood hunger, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a sweeping expansion of a new summer-long grocery benefit program for kids set to launch in summer 2024. This initiative marks a significant milestone in the fight against child hunger, particularly during the challenging summer months.
Summer can be a critical time for many families, as children lose access to many school meals. This program is poised to help fill that gap, ensuring that children maintain a healthy diet throughout the summer break.
Thirty-five states, five territories, and four tribal nations are on board to implement this program. It's a groundbreaking effort to provide nearly 21 million children with access to essential groceries during summer when school meals are not available. Families across the country are expected to receive nearly $2.5 billion in grocery benefits.
This victory did not happen overnight. Made permanent last December building on the proven impact of pandemic-era programs, these summer benefits are a policy win that No Kid Hungry has been advocating for over a decade.
Since the announcement of the program, teams have been working tirelessly to prepare states for a timely rollout. This includes extensive technical assistance for state agencies, raising awareness and advocating for federal and state support. A partnership with Code for America has led to the development of a playbook to facilitate system changes and outreach to eligible families.
It doesn’t stop here - now we turn our efforts to making sure the program is implemented in a way that truly meets the needs of families and reaches all eligible children, while working hard to make sure that all 50 states opt-in in the future.
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We hope you’ll join us in celebrating this collective win - your support has been instrumental to achieving this milestone for children and families across the county.
Together, we are making strides towards a future where no child goes hungry.
Ways You Can Continue Helping:
Donate: 1 dollar can help provide 10 meals* for kids. Your support will help us fund meal programs all over the country and help us advocate for policies that will help kids get the meals they need" *Donations help support programs that feed kids; No Kid Hungry does not provide individual meals. Learn more at NoKidHungry.org/OneDollar
Speak up for kids: 1 in 5 kids in the United States is affected by hunger. Tell your lawmaker to protect SNAP and other federal nutrition programs that feed kids.
