Many moms know first hand how difficult it is for children to grow and
learn when they are hungry.
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION

Dear Friend,

Free school meals for all children, which have been in place for the past
two years because of the pandemic, are ending next month. And, at the same
time, gas, rent, and grocery costs are soaring. This combination of events
is leading to a hunger crisis that will only worsen next month, and is
already propelling many families to visit food pantries for the first time
and others to have to rely on food pantries even more. [ [link removed] ] 

Luckily, the House Committee on Education and Labor has released the
Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act, which offers comprehensive,
evidence-driven solutions for addressing this hunger crisis. This bill
would meet the needs of so many families who are still struggling to put
food on the table. 

[1] → Urge Congress to quickly pass the “Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act”
to dramatically reduce child hunger! 

The Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act is long overdue; Congress has not
reauthorized federal child nutrition programs for seven years! And because
of rising meal costs and higher rates of food insecurity, families need
help now more than ever. Among its many provisions, this proposed child
nutrition reauthorization bill would dramatically expand school and summer
meal access for students, increase WIC eligibility to age six, help
prevent school lunch debt and the shaming that accompanies it [ [link removed] ], and
provide an additional reimbursable meal to children in a full day of care
to meet their growing needs.  

[2]Tell Congress: Because of rising food costs and increasing numbers of
food insecure families, the time is NOW to pass the Healthy Meals, Healthy
Kids Act!

Members of Congress have the opportunity to greatly reduce the number of
hungry children in the U.S. Let’s make sure that they take advantage of
this opportunity and pass the bill! 

Specifically, the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act will: 

* Expand access to school meals by expanding the Community Eligibility
Provision so more school districts can provide free meals and ensuring
children on Medicaid are automatically certified for free school
meals.
* Address unpaid school meal fees by providing protections for children
and families with these fees and requiring school districts to take
steps to determine if families who are accruing school lunch debt are
eligible for free or reduced-price meals. 
* Preserve the future of school meal programs by increasing the
reimbursement rate for lunch by 10 cents and providing commodity
support to the School Breakfast Program.
* Modernize the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,
Infants and Children (WIC) by expanding WIC eligibility to age six,
improving access to telehealth to reduce the physical presence
requirement, and expanding the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program to
ensure more mothers have access to breastfeeding support.
* Address food insecurity during the summer by expanding access to
summer meals and creating a nationwide Summer EBT program, which would
help close the summer meal gap, and give the USDA waiver authority
during federally declared emergencies. 
* Improve school meal capacity and sustainability by providing grants to
purchase kitchen equipment, supporting farm to school programs, and
incentivizing cooking from scratch. 
* Allow for one additional reimbursable meal for children in a full day
of care, giving children a full day’s worth of meals they need to
grow. 
* Create a pilot program to allow Tribal governments to express their
inherent sovereignty in food and agriculture by administering the
child nutrition programs. [3, 4]

[ [link removed] ]Urge Congress to help end child hunger by passing the Healthy Meals,
Healthy Kids Act now!

Structural racism plays a major role in food insecurity that cannot be
overstated. According to a May 2020 report from the Urban Institute, Black
and Hispanic households with children reported food insecurity rates that
were double those of white households with children. [ [link removed] ] The Healthy
Meals, Healthy Kids Act would go a long way toward addressing these racial
inequities in food insecurity.

[ [link removed] ]Tell Congress: Take meaningful action to reduce the racial hunger gap
by passing the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act! 

Together we are a powerful voice for children and families! 

-Jessica, Elyssa, Hanna and the whole MomsRising team

[5]P.S. Your experiences are powerful. Would you be willing to share your
story about how universal free school meals would help your family? If so,
please click here, and thank you!  

References:

[1] [ [link removed] ]Demand at food banks is way up again. But inflation makes it harder
to meet the need. 

[2] [ [link removed] ]Without free school meals for all, many fear lunch debt will return
‘with a vengeance’

[3] [ [link removed] ]Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act Fact Sheet

[4] [ [link removed] ]The Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act: FRAC’s Complete Summary

[5] [ [link removed] ]Congressional Democrats push to expand access to free [ [link removed] ]school
[ [link removed] ]meals 

 


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