In the United States, one in eight children lives in a household without consistent access to adequate food. 

Many children rely on the free or reduced-priced meals provided at school as their only source of nutritious food. 

On average, 20.1 million students receive free school lunch every year. 

Learn more about America’s child hunger crisis and the National School Lunch Program, and educate yourself on the current legislation proposing solutions to child hunger. 

National School Lunch Program

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP), a federal program established in 1946 under the National School Lunch Act, provides nutritionally balanced, free or low-cost lunches to eligible students in public and nonprofit private schools in the United States. The program serves over 29 million children every school day and ensures that children from low-income families have access to nutritious meals during the school day. 

In its first year of operation, the NSLP served roughly 7.1 million children. Since then, the program has grown significantly, feeding millions of children nationwide. 

 

1970: 22.4 million children

1980: 26.6 million children

1990: 21.1 million children

2000: 27.3 million children

2010: 31.8 million children

2016: 30.4 million children

2019: 29.6 million children

 

The NSLP is critical for many families who may struggle to provide nutritious meals for their children. Research has shown that school meal programs play an important role in supporting obesity prevention, overall student health, and academic achievement by improving children’s diets and combating hunger.

Summer Meals Act of 2021

The proposed legislation, the Summer Meals Act of 2021, seeks to address the issue of child hunger during the summer months when school is out of session, aiming to expand access to summer meal programs which provide free or reduced-price meals to children who rely on school meals during the academic year. 

The bill seeks to streamline both the application and reimbursement process for summer meal programs, making it easier for schools, local government agencies, and nonprofit organizations to provide nutritious meals to children during the summer months. 

The bill also aims to:

• Provide funding for outreach and education to ensure that families are aware of the availability of summer meal programs in their communities.
• Redefine areas in which poor economic conditions exist, where the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP may operate, as areas in which at least 40% (currently, 50%) of the children have been determined to be eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the school lunch and breakfast programs.
• Reimburse service institutions (other than school food authorities) for up to one meal and one snack per child each day during after-school hours, weekends, and school holidays during the regular school calendar.
• Award competitive grants to service institutions to increase participation in the summer food service program for children at congregate feeding sites through innovative approaches to limited transportation and mobile meal trucks.
• Allow service institutions to serve up to three meals, or two meals and one snack, during each day of operation, which is currently reserved for camps and service institutions that serve meals primarily to migrant children.

 

Introduced in the House on February 3rd, 2021, by former Representative Don Young (R-AK-At-Large), the Summer Meals Act of 2021 (H.R.783) is currently seeking cosponsors.

Conclusion

In addition to the Summer Meals Act of 2021, many schools and nonprofit organizations are partnering up to provide afterschool and weekend meal programs to children in need and helping to ensure that children have access to nutritious meals even when they are not in school.

The National School Lunch Program is an imperative resource for many children in the United States school system, providing them with access to nutritious meals throughout the school day. 

However, there is still more work required to address childhood hunger, particularly during the summer months, and to meet the needs of all eligible children.