Why free meal programs are struggling to feed kids this summer

Summer Meal Programs Face Challenges Due to HeatSummer Meal Programs Face Challenges Due to Heat Summer food programs are crucial for meeting the nutritional needs of students who rely on school meals during the academic year. However, new challenges have emerged due to the return to stricter rules that require children to eat meals on-site. Experts express concern that this requirement could hinder access to food, especially during hot summer months. In the past, pandemic-related policies allowed for grab-and-go options at summer food sites, but the reversal to pre-pandemic guidelines may have unintended consequences. According to Feeding America, 1 in 5 children in the U.S. faces hunger, and food insecurity increases during the summer for families with school-age children. Summer meal programs have historically reached only a fraction of eligible children due to limited availability, transportation barriers, and cost. Susan Maffe, director of food and nutrition services for Meriden Public Schools in Connecticut, estimates that 70 to 80 percent of the district’s population receives food assistance. Despite free summer meal programs, participation lags behind what is seen during the school year. The USDA offers a range of summer meal options, including sponsored meal sites and the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer Program. However, most summer meal sites operate under the “congregate eligibility rule,” which requires children to eat their meals on-site to avoid losing reimbursement. Maffe oversees 16 USDA-funded meal sites that require on-site dining. She has observed a decline in participation on days with extreme heat and air quality. The USDA provides waivers for these rules during extreme heat, allowing schools to send children home with meals. However, Maffe has yet to receive confirmation from Connecticut officials regarding waiver availability. Experts advocate for greater flexibility to ensure access to summer meals during hot weather. The Food Research Advocacy Center calls for the expansion of non-congregate meals and removal of administrative barriers. Despite the challenges, stakeholders remain committed to finding solutions to prevent hunger among students during the summer months.

For K-12 students who rely on school for a portion of their meals, federally sponsored summer food programs fill the gap and meet the need for accessible, nutritious meals year-round.

But heat means greater food security and for those students who use sponsored summer meal programs, a return to stricter rules could hinder consistent access to nutritious food, key stakeholders say.

During the pandemic, federal policy allowed districts to serve grab-and-go options at summer food sites. When federal policy returned to normal after the pandemic, it meant that many students now had to eat their meals in the heat at outdoor locations.

Participation in summer meal programs is likely to decline because children cannot take meals with them, experts say, which could lead to children going hungry.

Food insecurity is plaguing elementary and middle school students across the country, and experts are frustrated

According to Feeding America, a nonprofit focused on hunger relief, 1 in 5 children in the U.S. faces hunger.

Crystal FitzSimons, child nutrition programs and policy director at the Food Research and Action Center, a nonprofit whose mission is to help people facing hunger, said that during the summer months, food insecurity increases among families with school-age children, and children are more likely to they arrive, and there is a decline in learning in the summer – results that affect all children but disproportionately affect children from low-income households.

However, summer feeding programs have historically only reached a fraction of children eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, FitzSimons said.

“(Summer meal programs are) either not available for free, or families are being charged for them, or the summer programs don’t exist at all,” FitzSimons said. “And transportation can be a barrier to accessing the meals. It’s a lot easier to provide access to meals when the kids are already in school and going to the school cafeteria for lunch.”

Susan Maffe, director of food and nutrition services for Meriden Public Schools in Connecticut, oversees nutrition programs for 13 schools and about 8,600 students in the district. She estimates that 70 to 80 percent of the district’s population receives Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, and the district provides free meals to all students.

She said district-sponsored summer meal programs feed more than 1,000 people daily, but participation “never compares” to what she sees when school is in session.

USDA expands access to summer meals, but heat poses challenge to participation

The USDA offers many options for students to receive meals during the summer. Schools can apply to operate sponsored meal sites or offer families the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer Program, which provides $120 per eligible child during the summer to help with groceries, for example.

Families using that program can also participate in other summer food programs, such as meal distribution sites.

Meal sites typically operate in areas where at least half of children qualify for free or reduced-price meals, FitzSimons said. These meals are also available free of charge for children up to 18 years old. No application is necessary.

However, there is one catch with on-site programs: according to the so-called ‘congregate eligibility rule’, children generally have to eat their meals on site, otherwise the sponsor runs the risk of losing reimbursement for the meals. (From this summer, some rural areas will be exempt.)

Maffe is operating 16 different meal sites this summer, all funded by USDA funding, and as such, they all require students to eat meals on-site. This includes a food truck that provides mobile service in four different parks throughout the day.

She said the federal requirement affects participation rates and she must monitor locations and enforce the policy.

“I feel like we fed a lot more kids when we were able to bring ready-made meals,” she said.

Venues are expected to prepare for bad weather and other unforeseen circumstances, including extreme heat and poor air quality, but fewer children show up on days when heat, air quality or other weather conditions prevent them from eating outside safely.

“We’re seeing more and more extreme heat days … where kids can’t get outside,” FitzSimons said. “That makes it harder for programs to reach kids.”

Maffe said one of the sites in her program saw a 25 percent drop in the number of people served during one of the two hottest days of a heat wave in late June. That was likely partly due to the heat, but also to a change in the menu, she said.

“I don’t think people want to go outside because of the heat,” she said.

USDA waivers provide flexibility during extreme heat

The USDA is granting waivers from these rules so that school programs can send children home with meals, rather than having them eat on site in the summer heat on days when a heat warning or advisory is in effect.

These waivers are a holdover from the COVID-19 pandemic and give schools, students and families more flexibility in areas covered by the rule. So far, Maffe has not heard from Connecticut officials about whether she can offer a waiver.

She said she would use the waiver to improve participation rates on days of extreme heat if the state agency offers it as an option.

“My goal here is to feed children, and as a community with such a great need, I would love to do that if there was a way to make that possible for our students and for our families,” she said of the waiver .

The Connecticut Department of Education did not respond to EdWeek’s requests for comment before publication.

In an email to Education Week, a USDA spokesperson said agencies should ensure that extreme weather conditions and the physical safety of children are taken into account when approving meal sites.

Although it is not mandatory that feeding areas have alternative, temperature-controlled locations, an emergency plan must be in place, the spokesperson said.

“For example, the sponsor’s contingency plan may require the venue to suspend food service if safety is at stake; use a tent for additional shade on extremely hot days; or work with a residential community to provide an air-conditioned lobby or common area on extremely hot days,” the spokesperson said.

With her 20 years of experience in the district, Maffe believes all locations should be allowed to offer takeout, and she worries that exemptions will create an administrative burden that will compound the already large increase in approvals for new summer meal locations.

Because summer temperatures affect students’ ability to receive meals, FitzSimons of the Food Research Advocacy Center said there is still work to be done to increase access.

“Some of the movement around non-congregate (meals) has been helpful in expanding our access to the program,” she said. “I think we can always do more to make sure kids have access to summer meals.”