Larsen co-sponsors bill for summer meals for kids

Larsen, Peltola and Smith Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Combat Childhood Hunger, Expand Access to Meals Outside of Regular School Hours

||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN |||

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Reps. Rick Larsen (D-WA), Mary Peltola (D-AK) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced the Summer Meals Act of 2024, a bipartisan bill to fight childhood hunger by expanding access to healthy, nutritious meals and snacks offered to students during the summer months.

“Kids should be focused on learning and getting good grades instead of worrying about where their next meal will come from,” said Larsen, who represents Washington state’s Second Congressional District. “One in six children in Washington state faces hunger. With schools out, summer months are especially hard for children in low-income and underserved communities. The Summer Meals Act builds partnerships and breaks down barriers to ensure children in the Pacific Northwest and across the country get regular, healthy meals, regardless of the season.”

“As a mom to seven, I understand the stress and financial commitment that it takes to feed a family,” said Peltola, who represents Alaska’s At-Large Congressional District. “The summer should be a time for families to be together, but for too many Alaska kids, it brings uncertainty and hunger. Our bill will ensure Alaska’s future leaders have the nutrients they need to grow all year long.”

What Does the Summer Meals Act Do?

The Summer Meals Act reforms and expands the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), a federal initiative that funds meals served by nonprofit organizations, school districts and public agencies to children during the summer months.

Summer months are especially hard for low-income children to access meals because they lose access to free and reduced-price school meals. In July 2023, only 1 in every 7 children who relies on free or reduced-price lunch during the school year received a meal through the SFSP. The Summer Meals Act aims to close this gap.

Specifically, the Summer Meals Act:

• Allows site sponsors to operate year-round, enabling SFSP participants to operate more efficiently.
• Lowers the area eligibility threshold from 50 percent to 40 percent, allowing areas with at least 40 percent of students receiving free or reduced lunch to participate in the SFSP.
• Allows summer meal sites to serve three, rather than two, meals per day.
• Funds grants to encourage innovative meal delivery, such as through mobile meal trucks, to help increase food access for children in rural and underserved areas.

To read the Summer Meals Act, click here. For a fact sheet on the Summer Meals Act, click here.

What Stakeholders Are Saying About the Summer Meals Act

Stakeholders from nonprofit organizations, school districts and public agencies emphasized how important the Summer Meals Act is to reducing childhood hunger in their communities.

National

National Recreation and Park Association Director of Government Affairs Kyle Simpson

“The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is proud to endorse the Summer Meals Act. Local park and recreation departments play a crucial role in delivering meals through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Last year, local park and recreation departments served over 180 million meals to over 17 million community members. The Summer Meals Act would provide much-needed reforms that would enable local park and recreation departments and other sponsors to deliver more meals more effectively to more community members. Key reforms like lowering the eligibility threshold and allowing sites to serve three rather than two meals per day will ensure that millions more kids will have access to healthy meals during the summer. NRPA calls for the swift passage of this critical piece of legislation.”

YMCA of the USA President & CEO Suzanne McCormick

“Nothing is more fundamental to ensuring that children can learn, grow and thrive than regular access to healthy meals, and YMCAs are proud to serve millions of meals and snacks each year through USDA child nutrition programs. But updating these programs is long overdue. I want to thank Representatives Larsen, Peltola, and Smith for introducing this important legislation to make the improvements we most need: decreasing administrative burden for providers, giving more kids access to meals, allowing for a third meal to be served in full-day summer programs, and eliminating transportation barriers so kids can get to summer programs.” 

Boys & Girls Clubs of America President and CEO Jim Clark

“Summer is a pivotal time for kids and teens to develop new skills, reinforce what they’ve learned in school, and create lasting memories with friends at Boys & Girls Clubs. Boys & Girls Clubs is one of the largest organizations offering safe spaces, caring mentors, and access to nutritious meals, all of which are essential for their growth. Today’s introduction of The Summer Meals Act is a vital step toward ensuring that more young people have access to these crucial meals, especially during the summer when families often struggle to access food and youth programs. We deeply appreciate Representatives Larsen, Peltola, and Smith for their steadfast commitment to supporting youth and out-of-school time initiatives.”

Food Research & Action Center Interim President Crystal FitzSimons

“The Summer Nutrition Programs combined with summer programming are critical to reducing childhood food insecurity and keeping children learning, engaged, active, and safe during summer break. According to FRAC’s latest Summer Nutrition Status Report, just over 2.8 million children participated in the Summer Nutrition Programs on an average day in July 2023. This was a decrease of 170,926 children compared to July 2022. “The provisions in the Summer Meals Act of 2024 will make it easier for summer programs to provide summer meals. FRAC commends the bill’s sponsors for their efforts to strengthen and expand access to the Summer Nutrition Programs through the Summer Meals Act of 2024, and encourage Members of Congress to cosponsor this important bill.”

Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant

“The bipartisan Summer Meals Act would make it possible for many more children and youth to access quality summer learning programs that provide a nutritious meal,” said. “By simplifying eligibility requirements, reducing paperwork burdens, improving transportation, and offering an additional meal to children who attend evening programs, this bill would address the painful fact that today in the United States, for every child in a summer enrichment program, another is unable to attend due to cost or lack of programs, according to the 2021 America After 3PM Special Report: Time for a Game-Changing Summer.”

Washington State

Food Lifeline CEO Robert Ojeda

“We count on lawmakers to solve food access problems and Representative Rick Larsen’s Summer Meals Act does just that. So complicated is the interplay between the Summer Food Service Program and the Afterschool Meal Program that many nonprofit organizations, like ours, are overwhelmed by requirements that don’t align. With his bill, Rep. Larsen finds the synergy needed to make summer meal programs work better and easier to implement.” 

Edmonds School District Superintendent Dr. Rebecca Miner

“The Summer Meals Act is a vital step toward ensuring that no child goes hungry, regardless of where they live or the time of year. In our district, over 8,200 students qualify for free and reduced lunch but we know many more could benefit from this proposed legislation. This initiative aligns closely with our district’s mission to support the well-being and success of every student. I am confident it would have a lasting, positive impact on our students and their learning.” 

Stanwood-Camano School District Superintendent Dr. Deborah Rumbaugh

“The Stanwood-Camano School District proudly supports the Summer Meals Act, which promises to streamline operations and allow year-round meal service to eligible students. This bipartisan legislation will significantly reduce bureaucratic barriers and ensure that children in our community have consistent access to nutritious meals. We believe it will enhance our ability to serve students more effectively.”

Oak Harbor School District Superintendent Dr. Michelle Kuss-Cybula

“This summer, we proudly served 23,283 breakfasts and 27,158 lunches to the students of our community. By supporting this bill, we believe that the children and families of Oak Harbor will continue to receive the nourishment and support they need to thrive. Moreover, the benefits of this program extend far beyond today, contributing to the long-term well-being and success of our society.”

Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County President & CEO Ron McHenry

“Food insecurity is severe in our area. Kids can’t learn or grow without proper nourishment. Because of programs like the Summer Food Service Program, students in Skagit County receive nutritious scratch-made meals each day.”

Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County CEO Heather Powell

“As an extended day summer program provider who is open 50 hours per week, being able to provide three meals per day will help us to reduce hunger which will reduce behavior challenges and increase program participation. More children eating healthier foods more frequently to combat hunger is an essential component to quality summer programs.”