More low-income children are eating summer meals, according to a new report released today by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) which showed more than 3.2 million children participated in the Summer Nutrition Programs in July 2014. This represents a seven percent increase over the previous year, and demonstrates what can be done when the federal government, states, and communities make summer food a priority.
There was significant progress in 2014 in reaching a higher proportion of children in need. In its annual report, Hunger Doesn't Take a Vacation, FRAC measures the success of Summer Nutrition Programs at the national and state levels by comparing the number of children receiving summer meals to the number of low-income children receiving school lunch during the regular school year. By that measure, one in six children (16:100) who needed summer nutrition received it. In July 2013, the ratio was 15:100.
"Higher participation rates in summer food mean more low-income children get the fuel they need to thrive over the summer months," said FRAC President Jim Weill. "Congress can further this progress in this year's Child Nutrition Reauthorization law by making strategic and thoughtful investments in the Summer Nutrition Programs that bolster their capacity to serve even more children."
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