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Last night, President Trump signed H.R. 6201, the
Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which contains several provisions to
support school nutrition programs working to serve students during
coronavirus-related school closures. Notably, the bill:
- Provides the
Secretary of Agriculture with the authority to grant states with child
nutrition program waivers that may increase costs to the federal
government. This will allow the Department to consider more options to
help child nutrition providers continue serving children during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
- Provides the
Secretary authority to: 1) issue nationwide waivers; 2) allow
all child and adult care centers to operate as non-congregate sites; and
3) waive the meal pattern requirements if there is a disruption to the
food supply
- Authorizes
a Pandemic EBT program, which will provide food assistance to
families with children whose schools are impacted by extended closures
five days or more due to COVID-19.
SNA has been advocating for
more options for school meal programs to serve students during
coronavirus-related school closures. Schools, especially non area
eligible sites, are facing various regulatory and
logistical challenges in
serving needy students in their communities. SNA continues to call
on USDA and Congress to grant all school sites temporary eligibility to
serve all children at no charge through the Summer Food Service
Program and Seamless Summer Option.
Additionally, SNA recognizes the health and safety of school
nutrition professionals is of utmost importance. We are in active
communication with the CDC and expect more guidance for school nutrition
professionals soon. SNA will share this information from CDC as soon as it is
released.
Relief Grants Available to School Food Authorities
School Food Authorities (SFAs) and other community organizations can seek financial assistance through emergency grants from No Kid Hungry. The grants can be used to support local efforts like home-delivered meals, grab ‘n’ go meal programs, school and community pantries, backpack programs and other initiatives. No Kid Hungry is providing $1 million in grant funding immediately. For further information and to see if you’re eligible for a grant, complete the application process from No Kid
Hungry.
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