The Biden Administration is set to roll out the largest summer food initiative in U.S. history, aimed at supporting over 30 million families once the school year concludes. Despite being one of the wealthiest countries globally, many children depend on school meals for their daily nutrition. With the summer break approaching and school meals no longer accessible, this program seeks to address that gap.
The initiative follows the recent extension of the free school lunch program through 2022, which was previously scheduled to end in September. This new summer food program is a part of the Agriculture Department’s broader effort to combat food insecurity nationwide.
“Congress, through the American Rescue Plan, expanded this program to operate during the summer, which I think was just highly responsive to what we need right now,” said Lisa Carter, the deputy undersecretary of agriculture for food, nutrition, and consumer services. “We know that summer hunger is a problem in normal years, but obviously this year, with heightened food hardship as a result of the pandemic, we’re excited to roll out the program this summer.”
The summer food program is funded to assist up to 34 million children, providing approximately $375 each for food during the roughly 10 weeks of summer break. This translates to about $7 per weekday. Children under 6 who qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will be automatically enrolled, as will those who receive free or reduced-price lunches at school.
Parents will receive Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) cards by mail from their state agencies. These cards can be used to purchase fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, breads, cereals, and other approved food items. However, they cannot be used for alcohol, tobacco, medications, hot foods, or non-food products.
Congress has allocated funding for this summer food program for both 2021 and 2022, marking a significant effort to alleviate child food insecurity, which tends to spike during the summer when school meal programs are unavailable. The P-EBT initiative was initially created early in the pandemic to assist families during school closures, and its expansion for the upcoming summers will support many more children facing hunger.
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In summary, the Biden Administration’s summer food program represents a significant step in addressing the issue of food insecurity among children during the summer months, ensuring that millions of families have access to nutritious meals even when school is out.