Tackling Summer Hunger: Indiana Bucks the Trend with Increased Meal Participation

While a new report indicates a nationwide decline in the number of children participating in free summer meals, data shows that Indiana has bucked the trend, with more Hoosier kids receiving lunches in 2023 than in 2022. The report, released by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), reveals that despite the overall drop, Indiana has seen a significant increase in summer meal participation, offering a glimmer of hope in the fight against childhood hunger.

Empowering Hoosier Kids: Indiana's Summer Meal Success Story

Surging Lunch Participation

The FRAC report reveals that in Indiana, more than 72,000 children participated in free summer lunches on an average day in July 2023 – a nearly 33% increase from 2022. This stands in stark contrast to the nationwide trend, where 170,926 fewer children benefited from summer meals compared to the previous year. The data shows that 17.3 Hoosier kids ate summer lunch for every 100 who participated in the free and reduced-price program during the academic year, a significant improvement over the national average of 15.3 children per 100.

Breakfast Participation: Room for Growth

While the lunch participation numbers are encouraging, the report also highlights the need for improvement in summer breakfast programs. In July 2023, only 15,157 Hoosier children received breakfast on an average day, an increase of about 11.4% compared to July 2022. However, this figure is still far less than the 73,666 Hoosier kids who received free breakfast during the summer of 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Navigating the Pandemic's Impact

The overall 2023 participation boost in Indiana follows a drop in 2022, though there were previous summer meal increases in 2020 and 2021. The report attributes this fluctuation to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent changes in federal policies. During the pandemic, child nutrition waivers issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture expanded access to free meals, allowing sites to operate in all communities and offer meals for off-site consumption. However, most sites have since reverted to pre-pandemic operations, limiting the number of children who can access these vital resources.

Addressing the Hunger Gap

Despite the progress in Indiana, the state still ranks bottom in the country for the ratio of kids who ate both free lunches and breakfasts. Out of every 100 students who ate a summer lunch, only 25 were also served a free breakfast, according to the FRAC data. This disparity highlights the ongoing challenges in ensuring that all children have access to the nutrition they need during the summer months.

Advocating for Change

Nutrition advocates, including FRAC, are calling on federal lawmakers to make summer meals more accessible. This includes expanding the eligibility of communities to provide summer meals, allowing all sites to serve three meals (instead of two), streamlining operations so summer sites can operate after school and on weekends during the school year, and providing more funding for summer programs. These measures aim to ensure that more children have access to the meals and the educational and enrichment activities they need during the summer to return to school well-nourished and ready to learn.

Empowering Families with Summer EBT

To complement the summer meal programs, the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (Summer EBT) program, a new permanent initiative, was launched this summer. Thirty-seven states, including Indiana, are participating, providing eligible families with 0 in federally funded grocery benefits on an EBT card for each school-age child who is eligible for free or reduced-price school meals. This additional support helps to address the ongoing hunger challenges faced by many Hoosier families.