This year, FoodCorps activated thousands of advocates and partner organizations to support important federal and state policies, and built coalitions that will reap many policy wins moving forward. We encouraged our networks to take action on numerous policy initiatives, and forged relationships that will strengthen our work in the future. Here’s a glimpse at the past year in FoodCorps policy.

The transition to the Biden administration

In January, President Joe Biden took office, and with him a Democratic majority U.S. Congress. The new administration brought in a renewed focus on the needs of families with children, especially those impacted by job loss in the face of the pandemic. 

In his first week, President Biden enacted several executive actions to address food insecurity, including: 

• Issuing executive orders to address food insecurity, including a 15% increase in Pandemic EBT, a successful nutrition assistance program that helps low-income families buy groceries during COVID-related school closures. 
• Withdrawing harmful policy proposals left over from the Trump administration, including the proposed rule that would have impeded automatic access to free school meals for one million children. The administration also took steps toward rescinding the harmful public charge rule. 
• Taking action to help states and local governments partner with restaurants to feed more children during the pandemic—measures outlined in the bipartisan FEED Act.

In addition, our former Policy Director, Kumar Chandran, left FoodCorps to take the role of  Senior Adviser for Nutrition in the Office of the Secretary at the Department of Agriculture. Secretary Tom Vilsack is serving his second term in the Secretary role after previously serving with the Obama Administration.

Support from the American Rescue Plan

One of President Biden’s immediate actions was the signing of the American Rescue Plan, which lifted millions of children out of poverty. This plan brought direct payments to families with children, aiding families who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, 90 million direct payments have been disbursed, totalling more than $242 billion of much-needed relief sent to families. American families with children are using these payments for food, housing, utility bills, and education. 

Rather than waiting to claim these benefits during the 2022 tax season, families with children were given advanced cash payments during 2021. These “true-up” advanced payments have been credited for significantly lowering child poverty rates. Eligible families now automatically receive an Economic Impact Payment of up to $1,400 for individuals or $2,800 for married couples, plus $1,400 for each dependent. These payments are set to expire at the end of 2021; however, the Build Back Better Act would extend these payments through 2022 and make the policy permanent.

Free school meals for all (through June 2022)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced in April 2021 that free meals would be available to all students during the 2021-2022 school year. This offered a huge boost to families and kids, as free meals would be provided to all students regardless of their financial status.

This policy is a cornerstone of FoodCorps’ policy vision. Free school meals for all policies not only eliminate the stigma of being financially eligible for free and reduced-price school meals, but also greatly benefit school districts who receive more funding to provide school meals. This policy also sets an important precedent by acknowledging that good nutrition is key to students’ achievement at school.

Movement on Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR)

FoodCorps spent the first half of 2021 advocating for Child Nutrition Reauthorization, the process of renewing laws governing child nutrition. In particular, we advocated for four key bills to be included in the legislation (learn more about each one here):

• Food and Nutrition Education in Schools Act of 2021
• Farm to School Act of 2021
• Kids Eat Local Act of 2021
• School Food Modernization Act of 2021

FoodCorps is currently in planning conversations with congressional staff in the House Education and Labor Committee, as well as the Senate Agriculture Committee, to move forward with CNR in 2022. While this legislation has been tabled for possible 2022 action, many of FoodCorps CNR goals have been addressed in… 

…The groundbreaking Build Back Better Act

The House of Representatives passed President Biden’s economic agenda, known as the Build Back Better Act, in late November. The legislation is currently before the Senate. Last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. wrote in a letter to his colleagues that his goal is to have the measure approved by Christmas. 

Just in time for this landmark legislation, Jessica Montoya joined FoodCorps as Policy Director in September and brought her expertise to immediately advocate for passage of this bill. She has conducted over 50 meetings with grassroots partners and congressional staff in support of the Build Back Better Act and in order to lay the groundwork for CNR in 2022. 

In addition, FoodCorps joined hundreds of other schools and organizations to urge Congressional leadership to keep children a priority in this once-in-a-generation opportunity, including sending a letter recently with more than 100 signatures from partner organizations. 

FoodCorps applauded policymakers’ actions to keep provisions intact around school meals, kitchen upgrades, and nutrition education. Although we were disappointed that the funding was pared down, we see this legislation as significant progress and an important down payment on future child nutrition programs.

The current legislation includes:

• Expansion of the Community Eligibility Program to increase access to free school meals for 8.9 million more children through July 2026. 
• $50 million for Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer payments to continue through summer 2024. 
• $250 million in grants and monetary incentives in fiscal year 2022 for Healthy Food Incentives demonstration project, including improving nutritional quality of meals, increasing local procurement, and funding for nutrition education positions. 
• $30 million for School Kitchen Equipment Grants for training and technical assistance to support scratch cooking, and to purchase equipment necessary to serve healthier meals, improve food safety, and increase scratch cooking.   

Policy wins at the state level 

A number of states ushered in important policy wins. Here are a few we were particularly excited about: 

• California became the first state to pass free school meals for all legislation, guaranteeing that all California kids will permanently have access to free, nutritious meals at school. 
• Maine also passed its own free school meals for all legislation. 
• The Oregon state legislature approved $10.2 million in funding for Oregon’s Farm to School Grant program, thanks to advocacy by Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network. 
• Connecticut’s budget for the 2022-2023 year included $250,000 annually in American Rescue Plans funds for its CT Grown for CT Kids Grants Program. 
• In Michigan, $5 million was secured for 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids & Farms, the state-run program that matches school purchases of Michigan-grown fruits and vegetables for up to ten cents per meal, thanks to advocacy by the Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities and other partners.
• Massachusetts made progress on advancing free school meals for all legislation, including banning schools from punishing families with school lunch debt. 

The ongoing supply chain crisis

As communities everywhere continue to recover from the pandemic, people and businesses around the world are facing major supply chain issues from delays to product shortages and price increases—and school food is no exception. In response, the USDA announced $1.5 billion in funding to states as well as some program flexibilities to help schools navigate the supply chain challenges.

While staff and food shortages are felt by many school districts across the country, some school nutrition programs with local vendor relationships and scratch cooking already in place report fewer supply chain issues, which illustrates how farm to school and local procurement contributes to creating a resilient food system.

What’s ahead in 2022

In 2022, FoodCorps will continue to work with legislators to advance our policy priorities through passage and implementation of the Build Back Better Act and Child Nutrition Reauthorization. Although timing is uncertain, FoodCorps will have renewed focus and conduct more advocacy to urge Congress to pass these important pieces of legislation.

Furthermore, 2022 is an election year, and many are already predicting that the the House of Representatives will be controlled by a Republican majority. This will make passing legislation and advancing FoodCorps’ agenda more difficult because of likely partisan gridlock. As such, we will continue to advocate as much as possible to advance our legislative priorities with our current Congress. 

As always, we will continue to advocate for the ideal laid out in our Policy Vision: to dismantle the systemic inequities in our food and education systems so that every child—regardless of race, place, or class—gets the nourishment they need to thrive.

Stay connected to FoodCorps! Sign up for our policy emails and be the first to know when to raise your voice.

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Build Back Better Act passes in the House

After many months of negotiation and delays, the House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act—legislation that makes historic investments in school meals. Now, this roughly $2 trillion social spending bill heads to the Senate for passage before it can be signed into law by President Joe Biden. 

Although many of the original funding proposals, including the child nutrition provisions, were pared down during the negotiations, the great news is that the bill includes a historic $10 billion investment in school meals programs. This investment will go a long way toward relieving child food insecurity and equipping schools to serve nourishing meals to all students. If passed, the Build Back Better Act will bring about:

• Free school meals to nearly nine million more children through July 2026
• More experiential food education, school gardens, and farm to school local procurement
• Critical funding for school kitchen equipments so that more schools can prepare nourishing meals that are scratch-cooked, culturally relevant, and locally sourced
• Summer EBT benefits to keep 21 million kids nourished in the summer months
• Significant progress toward relieving child food insecurity and equipping schools to serve nourishing meals to all students 

Additionally, the bill also takes important steps towards reducing poverty and makes critical investments in child care, pre-K education, climate resilience, and debt relief for the country’s most economically distressed food producers.

Our FoodCorps community’s advocacy is making a difference! As the bill heads to the Senate, we need another big push to get the bill over the finish line. Your senators need to hear from you now! Urge your senators to pass this critical piece of legislation now so that families, kids, and school nutrition professionals can enjoy this holiday season knowing that their elected officials make them a priority.

Take action

Supply chain challenges continue to impact schools

As you may recall, supply chain challenges are making it harder for schools to keep kids fed, due to related hurdles like discontinued menu items, shortages, longer than normal lead times, significantly higher costs, delayed deliveries, and/or deliveries that contain a fraction of what was ordered.

Back in September, the USDA announced $1.5 billion to support schools in combating pandemic-related supply chain disruptions. This is one of a number of supports offered for the 2021-2022 school year. We are still waiting to see how exactly this money will be allocated to state agencies and districts. 

FoodCorps believes in food equity— the idea that all people should be able to grow and consume healthful, affordable, and culturally significant foods—and that our nation’s schools and kids should be able to access foods that reflect the values of their communities. That includes local foods, foods that are ethically grown and sourced, and foods that reflect local cultures. In addition to purchasing food on the commercial market, about 20% of the food schools purchase come from the USDA Foods in Schools program. Because the USDA purchases large volumes of food for federal programs, they can have a meaningful impact on the nation’s supply.

We are working in coalition with other national advocacy organizations to make recommendations to USDA on how this money can support a values-based food system, which ensures that purchased foods uphold shared values, like environmental sustainability and local economies.

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foodcorps@sunshinesachs.com 

Washington, D.C., November 19, 2021 — Today, the House of Representatives passed President Joe Biden’s economic agenda, known as the Build Back Better Act, preserving select investments to our nation’s families and children. After months of negotiations, the expansive social policy legislation will now head to the U.S. Senate. FoodCorps applauds policymakers’ actions to keep provisions intact around school meals, kitchen upgrades, and nutrition education. Although we were disappointed that the funding was pared down, we see this legislation as significant progress and an important down payment on future child nutrition programs. The current legislation includes:

• Expansion of the Community Eligibility Program to increase access to free school meals for 8.9 million more children through July 2026. 
• $50 million for Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer payments to continue through summer 2024. Supplemental benefits will be $65 per month, per eligible child, in 2023. The USDA will develop an alternate benefit plan for schools with a continuous academic calendar.
• $250 million in grants and monetary incentives in fiscal year 2022 for Healthy Food Incentives Demonstration, including:
  • Improving the nutritional quality of meals and snacks served under a child nutrition program. 
  • Enhancing the nutrition and wellness environment of institutions participating in a child nutrition program, including by reducing the availability of less healthy foods during the school day.
  • Increasing the procurement of fresh, local, regional, and culturally appropriate foods and foods produced by underserved or limited-resource farmers. 
  • Funding a statewide nutrition education coordinator to support individual school food authority nutrition education efforts, and to facilitate collaboration with other nutrition education efforts in the state.
• $30 million for School Kitchen Equipment Grants for training and technical assistance to support scratch cooking, and to purchase equipment necessary to serve healthier meals, improve food safety, and increase scratch cooking.  

These investments will go a long way toward relieving child food insecurity and helping our schools improve services to children.

To get to this point, FoodCorps joined hundreds of other schools and organizations to urge Congressional leadership to keep children a priority in this once-in-a-generation opportunity, including sending a letter recently with more than 100 signatures from partner organizations. With Child Nutrition Reauthorization also overdue for legislative action, FoodCorps will continue to fight for programs that will support schools, their nutrition staff, and educators to further embed healthy food into the school day. We will monitor the Build Back Better Act’s legislative course, hold our elected officials accountable, and advocate on behalf of our nation’s youth.

FoodCorps thanks President Biden and the members of Congress who fought hard to keep child nutrition a priority in this bill. We especially recognize the efforts of Representative Bobby Scott, Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and their respective staffs, for working tirelessly for our nation’s children in this tremendous effort.

About FoodCorps
Together with communities, FoodCorps connects kids to healthy food in school so that every child—regardless of race, place, or class—gets the nourishment they need to thrive. Our AmeriCorps leaders transform schools into places where all students learn what healthy food is, care where it comes from, and eat it every day. Building on this foundation of direct impact, FoodCorps develops leaders, forges networks, and pursues policy reforms that in time have the potential to improve all of our nation’s 100,000 schools. To learn more about FoodCorps’ work across the country, visit http://www.foodcorps.org or follow @foodcorps on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Nov. 3, 2021, Washington, D.C. — FoodCorps announced today its appointment of Kenya L. Collins as Vice President of Equity for the national nonprofit. Together with communities, FoodCorps serves to connect kids to healthy food in schools and envisions a future in which kids of all races, places, and classes know what healthy food is, care where it comes from, and eat it every day. Dismantling inequities in the school food system is central to FoodCorps’ work.

Collins has been with FoodCorps for nearly four years, serving most recently as the organization’s Co-Director of National Programs, and previously as the Mississippi Program Manager. Collins joined FoodCorps with more than 15 years of experience, having served as a field director, senior adviser, campaign manager, and communications strategist for numerous campaigns and nonprofits. She was selected as State Director of Obama for America-Mississippi in April 2012.  Before coming to FoodCorps she served as Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant to Mayor Errick D. Simmons of Greenville, Mississippi, as well as the Engagement Manager for P3 Strategies, LLC in Jackson, Mississippi.

In her new role, Collins will lead FoodCorps’ efforts to integrate equity and inclusion into its overall strategy, and help the organization address the systemic inequities in our food and education systems so that every child gets the nourishment they need to thrive.

“We couldn’t ask for a better leader to spearhead equity and inclusion, which are essential to our work,” said Curt Ellis, CEO and co-founder of FoodCorps. “Kenya has a passion for social justice and a wealth of professional experience with both political and nonprofit organizations. We are confident she will do a tremendous job leading this effort both internally and externally to achieve a greater impact within our communities.”

“I am thrilled to build upon FoodCorps’ years of work to tackle systemic inequities in our school food system,” said Collins. “Thanks to the trailblazing work of FoodCorps’ former VP of Equity, Tiffany McClain, we have already made some meaningful progress on these initiatives. I look forward to continuing this work to support the communities we serve so that every child gets equal access to healthy food and nutrition education at school.”

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FoodCorps and more than 100 of our partner organizations sent a letter to Congressional leadership today urging them to prioritize child nutrition in the Build Back Better Act. Read the whole letter or an excerpt below: 

We, the undersigned organizations, wholeheartedly support all of the child nutrition provisions proposed in the Build Back Better Act. The current supply chain challenges experienced by many schools demonstrate the need for investing in stronger, more diverse local and regional food systems. In fact, some school nutrition programs with robust farm to school procurement already in place—such as school districts that have been buying from local vendors for years, or those that have local procurement practices at the ready— report fewer supply chain disruptions. Throughout the pandemic, examples like these have illustrated how farm to school activities help create a school food system more resilient to supply interruptions2 . The Build Back Better Act’s investment in local procurement and scratch cooking will not only address child nutrition security, it will also unlock the often overlooked potential of school meals in building resilient local economies and an equitable food system. When schools source ingredients from local producers, each dollar invested can stimulate up to an additional $2.16 in local economic activity3 . This investment has also been designed to support schools in providing more culturally appropriate food options and sourcing food from socially disadvantaged producers.

Contact your legislators today and ask them to prioritize child nutrition in the Build Back Better Act. 

Take action

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Schools everywhere are struggling with supply chain disruptions, causing a scramble to feed kids. Smaller and more rural and tribal schools have been dealing with these issues for many years, and now many more schools are facing these issues head-on.

Here’s a helpful video from the School Nutrition Association explaining what’s going on: 

Right now, these issues include discontinued menu items, shortages, longer than normal lead times, significantly higher costs, delayed deliveries, and/or deliveries that contain a fraction of what was ordered. Many larger vendors have determined that schools were their least profitable customers and have canceled contracts. And the vendors that still service schools have incurred higher costs themselves, which they pass along. The USDA is bending over backwards to enable purchasing flexibilities and recently invested $1.5 billion to address the issue. 

But there are some bright spots: farm to school and local procurement.

Districts that have been purchasing locally for years have more of a direct link to suppliers in their community, and are not seeing as many supply chain disruptions now as a result. Districts like these have spent years diversifying their supply locally and building relationships with vendors and farmers close by. They tend to be doing more scratch cooking, and have the kitchen and staffing to do so. Some are still struggling from staff shortages, but overall, they are more nimble and resilient in the face of current challenges. 

Of course, no district is completely immune from the challenges right now; there are many issues in the face of the pandemic, and they are intertwined with the broader food system. In particular, labor shortages are a big underlying issue in the supply chain and in schools. But local procurement seems to be a clear way to minimize the impact of supply shortages. 

We need to invest in supporting connections between districts and smaller, diversified vendors who do not yet see schools for the steady, reliable market that they are. We also need to invest in schools themselves (through long-overdue modernization) and child nutrition staff (through professional development and culinary training) to build stronger connections between local and regional food systems and school districts within a community. 

October 11-15 marks National School Lunch Week, and October is National Farm to School Month — and right now, Congress is currently debating a bill package that would offer leaps and bounds forward for school nutrition. The Build Back Better Act would provide $634 million for the Healthy Food Incentives Demonstration Project, which would support local procurement, experiential nutrition education, school garden programs, and increased scratch cooking, and $500 million for upgrading kitchen equipment. Both would support school nutrition during times of hardship—like the issues schools are facing right now.

Take action today or text FOODCORPS to 52886 to get real-time updates. 

FoodCorps is a non-partisan, non-profit organization. FoodCorps staff and FoodCorps AmeriCorps members may not participate in any partisan or seemingly partisan activities during work time charged to a Corporation for National and Community Service funded grant or while earning AmeriCorps service hours. No federal funds were used to prepare or distribute these advocacy actions.

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Sept. 30, 2021, Washington, D.C. — Yesterday the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a comprehensive package to address a variety of agricultural issues, including $1.5 billion to address the urgent needs in our school food system, supply chain vulnerabilities, and other needs that have arisen as a result of COVID-19.

FoodCorps applauds USDA for these investments, which will bring much needed relief to communities where supply chains for food and labor have been stressed and at times disrupted in response to the pandemic. These funds can be used to support schools in purchasing the foods they need, such as the purchase of agricultural commodities, to ensure students have reliable access to healthy meals this year.  

FoodCorps and its network of district, school nutrition, and advocacy partners agree: our schools and their school nutrition staff cannot keep operating at peak pandemic levels without additional support and funding. According to FoodCorps’ new report, Nourishing Learners, when schools remained closed during the 2020-21 school year, school cafeterias remained open to ensure kids were getting daily nourishment, and school nutrition leaders worked around the clock to find innovative ways to deliver food to families who needed it. Fast forward to this year: free school meals are still in effect, school meal participation among students is at its highest, and school nutrition staff are asked to continue with the status quo, despite limited resources and budget, and increased restrictions.

We continue to urge  Congress to pass its Build Back Better Act, which includes additional provisions for school food, so that schools and their nutrition staff will have more capacity to make healthy food an essential part of the school day through more healthy and scratched-cooked meals, updated kitchen equipment, and food education for all kids.

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Congress Considers Historic Investment in School Meals in the Build Back Better Act

As you likely have seen in the news, Congressional Democrats have been working hard to find a pathway forward for President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion social spending package, called the Build Back Better Act. They plan to pass the bill through the budget reconciliation process—an infrequently used budgetary tool to pass a bill with only 51 votes (If you are curious how this process works, check out this blog post from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition). 

What does this bill mean for school meals? The great news is that the child nutrition provisions of the bill would allocate nearly $35 billion in child nutrition programs over the next 10 years, creating more equitable access to healthy food at school. 

If passed, the child nutrition provisions of the Build Back Better Act will bring about:

• Free school meals for nearly nine million more children through the expansion of the Community Eligibility Provision
• $634 million in funding for more experiential food education, school gardens, and farm to school local procurement
• $500 million in funding for school kitchen upgrades
• Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) benefits to keep 21 million kids nourished in the summer months

We are excited to see Congress recognizing the critical role of school meals in nourishing students. In particular, the proposed funding for food education and school kitchen equipment show that our advocacy over the years for such investments is making an impact—thanks to advocates like you! Special thanks to FoodCorps partners who have participated in virtual Hill meetings to share about their work connecting kids with healthy food.

But the fight is not over. While the child nutrition provisions of the bill have passed out of the House Education and Labor Committee, the larger bill needs to be stitched together and passed by both the House and Senate. The fate of the bill remains a little unclear as we write this update, with Congressional leaders facing several hurdles to get the bill over the finish line. 

One thing we know for certain is that your elected officials need to hear from you! Congress must keep focus on this important legislation and resist the pressure to cut these important investments in our children. Now is the time to tell your members of Congress that children’s health must be their top priority. Urge your lawmakers to protect the critical investments that will support kids and families in the years to come.

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USDA Responds to School Meals Supply Chain Challenges

As communities everywhere continue to recover from the pandemic, people and businesses around the world are facing major supply chain issues from delays to product shortages and price increases—and school food is no exception. In response, the USDA announced $1.5 billion in funding to states as well as some program flexibilities to help schools navigate the supply chain challenges.

While staff and food shortages are felt by many school districts across the country, some school nutrition programs with robust farm to school programming and scratch cooking already in place report fewer supply chain issues, which illustrates how farm to school contributes to creating a resilient food system. 

In other USDA news, the following announcements came out of the department recently:

• A permanent increase in SNAP benefits by more than 25 percent through the modernized Thrifty Food Plan.
• A total of $700 million in funding for a new, easy-to-apply-for grant for small food businesses and farms who have incurred costs during the pandemic, which is a great opportunity to support regional supply chains that sell into schools. 
• A call for nomination for a soon-to-be-established Equity Commission, which will advise the Secretary of Agriculture on barriers to inclusion or access, systemic discrimination, or exacerbate or perpetuate racial, economic, health and social disparities within the department. 

Related read: Staff shortages and supply chain issues are adding to schools’ struggles as educators figure out how to feed kids

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Sept. 30, 2021, Washington, D.C. — FoodCorps announced today that Jessica Montoya has joined the organization to lead the policy and advocacy team for the national nonprofit. Since 2010, FoodCorps has worked with its coalition of partners and state and federal lawmakers to advance policies that integrate food education into the school day and ensure school food nourishes kids’ minds and bodies, workers’ livelihoods, local economies, and the environment.

Montoya joins FoodCorps with more than 20 years of experience working with Congress and Fortune Global 500 companies. Most recently, she led government affairs for Sodexo, a leading global food service firm, where she facilitated legislation focused on children’s health, better nutrition, and food education in schools. Previously, Montoya managed congressional affairs for the auto giant Chrysler and worked in U.S. Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton’s (D-DC) legislative office.  

Montoya will lead FoodCorps’ policy team, based in Washington, D.C., and its efforts to address the systemic inequities in our food and education systems so that every child, regardless of race, place, or class, gets the nourishment they need to thrive.

“We are thrilled to have Jessica lead FoodCorps’ critical policy work,” said Curt Ellis, CEO and co-founder of FoodCorps. “Her tenure and experience in child nutrition legislation will further strengthen our reach and influence as an advocacy organization.”

“FoodCorps is leading the way in making the direct connection between food, education and positive outcomes for our children with policymakers,” said Montoya. “I am excited to join this dynamic team to continue to advocate for healthy schools and healthy kids, especially with the momentum school meal programs are gaining in Congress and our current administration amid the pandemic.” 

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Washington, D.C. — Today, FoodCorps joins school nutrition advocates in supporting the House Education and Labor Committee’s proposed Build Back Better Act for budget reconciliation. The Build Back Better Act invests nearly $35 billion in child nutrition programs, as well as other measures that support families and communities. 

“We are hopeful that legislators will recognize the Build Back Better Act’s powerful potential for advancing child nutrition across the nation,” said Jessica Montoya, FoodCorps Policy Director. “We encourage legislators to enact these critical measures, which will alleviate food insecurity, support kids’ health, and help grow healthy school communities.”

The child nutrition provisions of the Build Back Better Act include: 

• Increasing eligibility for nearly nine million more students to access free school lunches through 2030. Free school meals can be a lifeline for families who struggle to put food on the table, especially given the financial impacts of the pandemic, which hit communities of color and low-income communities hardest. 
• $500 million in funding for school kitchen equipment upgrades. Modern, functional kitchens are key in order for schools to provide fresh, scratch-cooked school meals. 
• $634 million in funding for grants that support experiential nutrition education and school gardens. Grants can also be used to source local food, support scratch cooking, serve culturally relevant meals, and other activities that promote students’ health and wellbeing, especially as society continues to recover from the pandemic. 
• Creating a nationwide program to provide Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (Summer EBT) benefits. This will make it easier for households with children to purchase food while schools are closed during the summer months. 

If passed, the Build Back Better Act will ensure greater access to free school meals, food and nutrition education, and healthy food for millions of kids across the country. According to a report released today by the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Agriculture, 10.5 percent of American households were food insecure in 2020, with food insecurity growing among Black households and households with children. The Build Back Better Act therefore comes at a critical time for our country, providing a series of supports to families impacted by systemic racism and classism. 

FoodCorps commends the Committee’s work in recognizing the critical role of school meals in nourishing students and ensuring they’re ready to learn every day, especially during the pandemic. We hope lawmakers will usher in this historic legislation supporting kids and families in the years to come. 

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