Congress keeps some pandemic-era expansions of school-nutrition programs, which could mean more in rural areas

Screenshot of interactive map by The Daily Yonder; for the interactive version, click here.

Congress recently passed, and President Biden signed, the Keep Kids Fed Act to extend some special school-nutrition measures taken during the pandemic. "It could offer a summer lifeline for those in rural areas who rely on school-served meals during the vacation season," Sarah Melotte reports for The Daily Yonder. "The act doesn’t keep the provision of universal free meals to students, but it does expand those eligible for free lunches and increases the reimbursement rate for schools, among other things."

The first pandemic relief bill created child nutrition waivers because "children could not receive meals at school because of lockdowns," Melotte notes. "The waivers increased federal reimbursements for lunch programs and allowed schools to omit eligibility requirements for free and reduced-price meals. A USDA survey found that 90% of schools took advantage of the increased funding and waivers to provide free meals to students regardless of income. The waivers also allowed schools to establish grab-and-go lunches during the summer" in more than just low-income neighborhoods.

"The Keep Kids Fed Act allows schools to continue to deliver meals and provide grab-and-go options," Melotte notes. That's important for rural families, because food insecurity is greater in rural areas. "Rural students may face other challenges such as transportation to and from meal distribution sites during the summer, especially with increasing fuel prices," Melotte writes. "Some families cannot afford to drive to a daily food pick up site to get a free lunch, a challenge exacerbated if they also live in a rural food desert . . . areas without a grocery store for 10 miles."

The act "does not allow all students to eat school meals free of charge in school year 2022-23," said a news release from the Department of Agriculture, which runs school-nutrition programs. "In most school districts, families will need to complete an application through their school to determine if their household is eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, as was done before the pandemic. USDA is also supporting the expansion of direct certification, which uses existing data to certify children for free or reduced-price meals without an additional application. All states are required to directly certify students for free meals if their household receives SNAP benefits, and some states also directly certify for free and reduced-price meals based on participation in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations or Medicaid."