Contact: Meredith Jorss, mjorss@strength.org
WASHINGTON, DC – Last night, in a showing of bipartisan unity, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201), a package of policies designed to help communities respond to the coronavirus outbreak, including funding for emergency provisions that include food aid for low-income families. The following is a statement from Share Our Strength’s Senior Vice President Lisa Davis:
“We commend the House of Representatives for passing H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. This bipartisan act removes administrative roadblocks, making sure communities have more of the resources and flexibility they need to respond to the needs of families and children.
As the nation faces new uncertainties and health dangers during this pandemic, we also need to help low-income families who already face hardship. One way to do this is by making sure kids who have been getting meals at school are still getting the meals they need.
Federal nutrition programs like SNAP, school breakfast and lunch, out-of-school time meals like summer meals, and WIC are the front line of defense during disasters and economic downturns given their effectiveness and scale.
As of 11PM last night, at least 46,000 schools across the nation have closed, which affects at least 21 million students. Millions of families who rely on the free and reduced-price meals their children receive at school are now shouldering this additional burden. At the same time, even in places schools aren’t closing, the places parents work are. Community quarantine, income disruption and school closures are creating economic hardship for families, many of whom are already struggling to get by.
This relief bill addresses those immediate needs by providing states the funding and flexibility to work with resources on the ground – from state agencies and community organizations, to food banks and schools – to meet the unique needs of the people in their communities.
We now urge the Senate to continue this good work and also pass legislation to support the needs of families and children. No child should go hungry during this uncertain time.”
- TAKE ACTION: Tell your Senator to pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
- NO KID HUNGRY RESPONDS: Learn more about what we're doing to feed kids when schools are closed
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But 1 in 7 kids will face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger through effective programs that provide kids with the food they need. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization working to end hunger and poverty. Join us at NoKidHungry.org