Resources
Congress Needs to Fully Fund WIC for FY 2024
Read MoreHunger & Poverty in America
Explore the DataFood Insufficiency during COVID-19
Explore the DataAfterschool Suppers: A Snapshot of Participation – October 2021 and October 2022
Read our latest reportSummer EBT Resource Center
Learn moreHealthy School Meals for All
Learn MoreExpanded Child Tax Credits: A Transformational Opportunity to Help Families Put Food on the Table Research Brief
Learn moreBudget Reconciliation 101
Explore our reportUSDA Guidelines on Using Existing Authority to Implement SFSP and SSO Meal Delivery
Q&As from the USDA on the logistics of delivering meals through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) while using existing authority.
News
FRAC Chat
Given the increased need, the 2024 Maryland legislative session presented crucial opportunities to strengthen and expand hunger programs at the state level. Maryland has a particularly short session, compared to other states with only 90 days from early January to early April. The 500+ bills that passed this year are currently being signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore.
The two key priorities for Maryland Hunger Solutions this year were:
(1) increasing the Maryland SNAP minimum benefit to $95 per month, and
(2) implementing universal school meals in Maryland.
Unfortunately, anti-hunger advocates in Maryland faced an uphill battle in passing any significant legislation in light of a grim state budget outlook. Advocates made the case that, even in tough budget years, it is important to make investments in anti-hunger programs that provide resources to our most vulnerable residents and lead to long-term positive economic impacts, improved educational outcomes, and health care cost savings.
GENYOUth’s newest Youth Insights report, Fostering Wellness in Youth: Cultivating Healthy Eating for the Future, offers a comprehensive overview of how schools and key stakeholders can foster healthy eating among youth and provides insights directly from students. Today’s students have a strong sense of responsibility for their health and wellness. We know because we ask them. GENYOUth Insights elevates youth voice through original, timely research on topics that matter to students and their schools.
In early March 2024, USDA released their final two reports on the Summer EBT demonstration projects. The reports evaluated the last seven years of the program: the first report covered 2015 to 2018, and the second covered 2019 to 2022. These reports differed from the previous evaluations of the demonstration projects in that they did not include an experimental design to evaluate the impact of the Summer EBT benefit. Instead, these reports evaluated the implementation and administration of the grants and examined patterns in household usage.
These reports found that parents and caregivers appreciated Summer EBT and saw the program as a critical resource that helped fill nutritional gaps. They felt the program provided flexibility in where they could purchase food and allowed families to purchase more nutritious foods.
Recent Publications & Data
See More Resources- Report
School meals are an important tool for combatting childhood food insecurity, yet far too many children missed out on the nutrition they need for their health and learning with the expiration of the pandemic-era nationwide waivers that allowed schools to offer school meals to all students at no charge, according to FRAC’s latest report. Learn more in The Reach of School Breakfast and Lunch During the 2022–2023 School Year.
Read the report - Fact Sheet
Congress must adhere to bipartisan and public support to preserve consumer choice for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the FY 2024 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, the upcoming Farm Bill, and any other legislative vehicles. Learn more about preserving consumer choice in SNAP in FRAC’s latest-one pager.
Read the fact sheet - Report
School lunch participation in the five states that implemented Healthy School Meals for All policies during the 2022–2023 school year increased compared to prepandemic participation levels. Learn more in FRAC’s latest report, The State of Healthy School Meals for All: California, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Vermont Lead the Way.
Read the report - Fact Sheet
The bipartisan 2018 Farm Bill directed USDA to update the Thrifty Food Plan. The resulting update in 2021 was the first in the plan’s history and led to a necessary and long overdue increase in SNAP benefits. Learn why the Thrifty Food Plan adjustment should be protected from efforts to eliminate or weaken it in the 2024 Farm Bill and in other legislation in FRAC’s new one-pager, Continuing the Thrifty Food Plan Adjustment Is Good for Everyone.
Read the fact sheet