Pass H.R.6613, Keeping School Meals Flexible Act
Congressional child nutrition waivers that allowed for free meals in school and other food assistance measures are expiring June 30. NBC News
If the waivers end this month as scheduled, experts foresee a crisis as families, already facing soaring prices at supermarkets, gas stations, and elsewhere, lose access to meals that their children have counted on for the last two years.
The waivers let families pick up multiple days’ worth of food to take home, without them students have to stay on-site to eat one meal, an obstacle for families who lack transportation and time.
If the waivers expire, 7 million kids could lose access to two meals a day. Food and Environmental Reporting Network
FIND Food Bank alongside Congressman Raul Ruiz, our partnering school districts, PSUSD, DSUSD, and CVUSD, as well as national, state, and local organizations, ask Congress to further extend USDA’s nationwide waiver authority through the school year 2022-23 to ensure USDA has continued flexibility to respond to the ongoing and evolving impacts of the pandemic as well as its aftermath and to ensure that the federal child nutrition programs continue to operate and provide healthy snacks and meals to students.
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Take Action with Feeding America
Many rely on strong federal nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), child nutrition programs like the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), and federal commodity foods through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). Help advocate for federal nutrition programs with FIND and our network of 200+ Feeding America Food Banks working to fight hunger collectively in our communities.
Revisions to Thrifty Food Plan Since October 2021
Tatalon ang Mga Pakinabang ng SNAP ng 27 porsyento sa mga antas ng pre-pandemik, salamat sa isang rebisyon ng Thrift Food Plan na kumokontrol sa maximum na mga pag-aalaga para sa SNAP, o CalFresh sa California.
Ang average na gastos ng pagkain sa US ay $2.41 - 22 porsyento na mas mataas kaysa sa maximum na mga benepisyo ng stamp ng pagkain, ayon sa isang kamakailang ulat ng Urban Institute na kasamang akda ni Waxman. Noong 2020, ang maximum na benepisyo ay hindi saklaw ang gastos ng isang katamtamang presyo na pagkain sa 96 porsyento ng mga lalawigan ng US. Gayunpaman, ang rebisyon ay magbabawas sa figure na iyon sa isang tinatayang 21 porsyento ng mga county.
"Ito ay talagang mahalaga tungo sa sapat na benepisyo ng SNAP, ngunit hindi pa tayo hanggang doon." - Si Lisa Davis, senior vice president, No Kid Hungry
Alamin ang Tungkol sa Lokal na Pagkagutom
Gutom sa Bata at Tag-init
- 22 million children receive free or reduced-cost lunches during the school year, but only 3.76 million continue to access those free meals in the summer. That’s where FIND’s Kids Summer Feeding Program steps in.
- 4 sa 5 ang mga bata ay maaaring makaranas ng kawalan ng pagkain sa rehiyon ng disyerto. Alam natin yan higit sa 83% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals across the three regional school districts.
- MANGHANAP ng mga feed nang higit pa sa 45,000 children per month sa buong aming mga mobile market at kasosyo sa komunidad. Ang mga batang 0-18 taong gulang ay binubuo 36% of the total population we help feed.
Kagutuman sa bukid
Rates of food insecurity among rural households are generally higher than in urban households. This is due to food deserts, which is an area that has limited access to fresh, nutritious food. While there might be a gas station or fast food nearby fresh produce can be hard to find. Data collected by Feeding America reveals that 84% of U.S. counties with the highest percentage of food-insecure children are rural.
- Mercado Campesinos, FIND’s direct food distribution to farmworkers, feeds 400-750 farmworkers and their families every other week at different locations across the Eastern Coachella Valley.
- Farmworkers face a multitude of obstacles to accessing nutritious foods:
- Kakulangan ng maaasahang transportasyon at paghihiwalay ng heograpiya. Ang isang manggagawa sa bukid ay maaaring mangailangan ng 20 minuto o higit pa upang maabot ang pinakamalapit na malusog na grocery store.
- Ang kawalan ng kapanatagan sa kita ay nagmumula sa matinding temperatura at pinalawak na mga off-season para sa mga manggagawa sa agrikultura; walang trabaho sa loob ng 2-3 linggo pagkatapos nilang mag-ani ng isang ani ay nangangahulugan na kailangan nilang iabot ang mga sahod.
- Ang trabaho sa bukid ay isang masigasig na trabaho na nag-iiwan ng maraming hindi nakagalaw sa kanilang pagtanda at hindi maibigay ang kanilang sarili.
- Agriculture is the second-largest contributor to the Desert’s economy. Farmworkers produce over 50% of the United States’ fruits and vegetables.
In the Hi-Desert, FIND reaches area residents through our mobile market at Copper Mountain College, and a distribution branch in the Morongo Basin where surrounding food pantries and soup kitchens can pick up food for their clients. This saves them from making the hour-long trip down to the Coachella Valley to pick up food items.
Pagkain ng basura
- Tinantya 40% ng mga pagkain na lumago, naproseso at dinala sa US hindi na masisira.
- When food is disposed in a landfill it rots and becomes a significant source of methane – a potent greenhouse gas with serious side effects, including climate change.
- Ang FIND ay ang pinakamalaking samahang nagliligtas ng pagkain sa Desert. Nakasagip kami 9 milyong pounds ng pagkain sa 2020!
- Pinigilan nito ang paglabas ng tinatayang 747,000 pounds ng greenhouse gas methane papunta sa kapaligiran mula sa isang landfill.
Senior Gutom
- FIND fed over 28,000 older adults on average each month in 2023.
- Ang mga matatandang sambahayan ay mas malamang na makatanggap ng tulong sa pamamagitan ng Supplemental Nutrisyon na Tulong sa Programa (SNAP) kaysa sa iba pang mga sambahayan, kahit na ang inaasahang mga benepisyo ay halos pareho.
Gutom + Kalusugan
- Ang FIND Food Bank ay isang malusog na food bank, ang aming kabuuang pamamahagi ay palaging 40-50% sariwang ani.
- Read about the benefits of consistent healthy meals on Feeding America’s blog, Gutom + Kalusugan