"This issue couldn't be more urgent with waivers expiring in nine days and summer meals programs already up and running," says Davis.
Contact: Meredith Jorss, mjorss@strength.org
WASHINGTON, DC — This afternoon, leadership from the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and the House Committee on Education and Labor announced an agreement to extend nationwide child nutrition waivers, which are set to expire on June 30. The Keep Kids Fed Act would extend some of these waivers through the 2022-2023 school year and provide school nutrition programs with additional funding to help address food price inflation and supply chain challenges. The following is a statement from No Kid Hungry Senior Vice President Lisa Davis:
“We are grateful that a deal has come together to help address the immense challenges facing schools and community organizations working tirelessly to feed kids this summer and during the school year. This issue couldn’t be more urgent with waivers expiring in nine days and summer meals programs already up and running.
“Time is of the essence, especially for those operating summer meals sites without the certainty and flexibility of the waivers who will face difficulties turning on a dime. We know these waivers are needed and that they work. The reach of the summer meals program increased dramatically with them, doubling in 2021 and even tripling in 2020.
“While these waivers don’t solve supply chain issues, lower the rising cost of food and gas, or solve our nation’s inflation problem, they do help soften their impact on schools and community organizations and, ultimately, keep kids fed and nourished.
“As we know with legislation like this, there can be miles to go before it gets across the finish line. We urge Congress to move quickly on the Keep Kids Fed Act before nationwide child nutrition waivers expire on June 30.”
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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 6 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.