INDIANAPOLIS – Thousands of Hoosier kids are missing out on free breakfast and lunch, even though nutrition advocates say many Indiana families continue to struggle with hunger and food insecurity. That’s according to a new report by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), a nonprofit aiming to reduce poverty-related hunger.
FRAC’s study indicates that nearly 58,000 fewer children in Indiana received the free lunch meal on an average day in July 2022, a decrease of more than 50% from the previous summer. Data for 2022 is the latest to be released.
Participation rates for breakfast fell even further as 60,000 fewer children received breakfast on an average day in July 2022, a decrease of about 81% compared to July 2021.
The decline follows previous increases in summer meal participation in 2020 and 2021.
Across the country, every other state also saw a decrease in the average daily participation in summer lunch in July 2022 compared to July 2021, according to FRAC.
Child nutrition waivers issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture make the free meals available at summer meal sites, oftentimes located at schools and community centers.
While waiver access was expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, eligibility restrictions are back in place, meaning fewer kids can access free meals.
“During the height of the pandemic, families could drive through summer meal sites and pick up multiple meals for a few days, making the process a whole lot easier for many,” said Emily Weikert Bryant, executive director of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit focused on increasing Hoosiers’ access to food. “As we’ve returned more to normal operating procedures, we just don’t have the ability to reach as many kids with as many meals.”
Although state and federal officials have piloted new programs to get additional kids fed, Bryant said many still lack access to nutritious foods.
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