“As our nation reaches the one-year milestone of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are pleased to see our nation’s lawmakers prioritizing crucial lifelines for kids,” says Davis.
Contact: Meredith Jorss, mjorss@strength.org
Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today that it would extend essential child nutrition waivers through September 30, 2021. This news comes alongside the anticipated passage of the latest COVID relief package, the American Rescue Plan Act, as early as today. The following is a statement from Share Our Strength Senior Vice President Lisa Davis:
“As our nation reaches the one-year milestone of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are pleased to see our nation’s lawmakers prioritizing crucial lifelines for children and families struggling to meet their basic needs.
"We commend the USDA for extending child nutrition waivers through the summer months. As schools and community organizations continue to reimagine traditional meal programs during this ongoing crisis, these waivers will continue critical flexibilities to continue reaching kids with the nutrition they need. For example, these waivers make it possible for schools and organizations to package multiple meals for parents to pick up for the week, or for meals to be dropped off at a child’s home. In turn, they also help hard-working school nutrition staff plan effectively and provide certainty to the families whose children depend upon these meals, while providing additional stability to the supply chain that is an essential part of local economies.
"Together with the American Rescue Plan Act, the COVID relief package that includes critical nutrition benefits and anti-poverty measures that is expected to be finalized this week, this is a victory for the 17 million children who could face hunger today.
"While we know much more work needs to be done to ensure our hardest hit families recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19, these policies are a very significant step toward that recovery. We appreciate the administration’s continued prioritization of the hunger crisis and will continue to work with the White House and Congress to make the policies and programs that work available and accessible to more children and families across the nation."
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, 1 in 4 kids could face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.