May 17, 2022
Tell Senator Schumer to Protect Summer Meals
School is almost out, and summer is just around the corner. Unfortunately for families across the city access to summer meals is becoming much more burdensome. That’s why we need you to reach out to Senator Schumer to demand they extend summer meals waivers for child nutrition programs today!
During the pandemic, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) put in place waivers that allowed summer meals programs to develop new ways to feed kids in communities across the country. These waivers provided flexibilities for grab and go meals, mobile delivery that made it easier for kids and families to get meals outside of traditional meal sites.
In Rochester, families with only one child enrolled in a program at a summer meals site were able to ensure that all children in the family had access to meals. Foodlink, our regional food bank, was able to reach children in neighborhoods without easy access to meal sites through an “ice-cream truck” delivery model. More than 1,000 healthy meals per day were served through this partnership with our public transit service. Simply put, the waivers allowed more kids to have a healthy and nutritious meal throughout the summer.
Unfortunately, these waivers have expired, which may make it harder for sites and for kids not enrolled in summer programs to access meals. We need the USDA to extend these waivers for child nutrition programs to ensure that all kids in our community have access to nutritious meals throughout the summer.