Feeding America announced Tuesday that lawmakers on Capitol Hill have introduced bipartisan provisions to improve and expand federal nutrition programs that help fight child hunger during the summer.
Feeding America commends the negotiators of these provisions, senators Debbie Stabenow and John Boozman, which will create a nationwide Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer grocery card program and significantly increase access to summer meals, particularly for children in rural communities. These critical anti-hunger provisions have been added to the fiscal year 2023 omnibus spending bill, which also includes other anti-hunger programs.
Many children lose access to their reliable sources of nutritious meals when on summer break. In 2019, approximately 80 percent of children who were eligible for summer meals did not access them, which the provisions seek to address.
"Every child in the U.S. should have access to the food they need to thrive," said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, in a statement. "The summer nutrition provisions in the omnibus spending bill will be a game changer for the millions of eligible kids who have historically been left behind under the Summer Food Service Program. A nationwide Summer EBT program centers the dignity and agency of families facing hunger by allowing them to choose the nutritious foods that best meet their needs… We call on Congress to strengthen summer nutrition programs for our nation's children by passing the omnibus."
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