STATEMENT: Share Our Strength’s Lisa Davis on the Extension of Essential National Child Nutrition Waivers

“This is an important victory for children,” said Davis. “We commend the USDA for extending these waivers through the academic year.”

WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Department of Agriculture today announced that it would extend essential national child nutrition waivers through the end of the academic year, allowing schools and community organizations to continue to adapt their meal programs and reach children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The following is a statement from Share Our Strength Senior Vice President Lisa Davis:
 
"We commend the USDA for extending these child nutrition waivers through the academic year. This will allow schools and community organizations across the nation to continue serving meals to hungry children as the pandemic continues to inflict hardship on families and as our economy continues to falter. 
 
"With these waivers, schools and organizations have the flexibility to adapt their meal programs to reach more children, especially in communities with distance or hybrid-learning. For example, it allows meals to be picked up by parents, or for a school bus to drop meals off at a student’s home. Extending these waivers through the school year allows schools to plan, budget, and prepare their meal programs so they operate effectively and efficiently. These waivers not only allow schools to plan accordingly, they will provide some stability to the supply chain that supports local economies.
 
"This is an important victory for children, but there is more work to be done. Hungry children cannot push pause on their hunger while they wait for Congress to help. Today we also call for immediate action to pass a strong relief package that would help millions of struggling families feed their children, including provisions to increase SNAP benefits by 15%."
 

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About No Kid Hungry

No child should go hungry in America. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, 1 in 4 kids could face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.