Children need healthy food to grow, learn, and thrive. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, however, children in America went hungry at alarming rates. Institutional racism, low wages, and other inequities made it impossible for many families to put food on the table. At the same time, policymakers have refused to adequately fund nutrition programs to reach and feed all children in need. Millions of children entered this crisis without consistent access to nutritious food, leaving them especially vulnerable to hunger and harm. 

Did you know?

• Lack of nutritious and healthy food is linked to low birth weight and birth defects, physical and mental health problems, oral health problems, and poor educational outcomes. 
• Nearly half of all public school students rely on free or reduced-price school meals to meet their daily nutritional needs.
• Even during traditional school years, however, most children who receive free or reduced-price meals cannot access them when schools are closed after school, on weekends, and over the summer.