HUNGER DOESN'T TAKE A SUMMER VACATION. No. 528.

In the past year, the cost of food for what the government considers a minimum nutritional diet has risen 7.2 percent nationwide.

The Food Stamp Program is the nation's most important food assistance program, especially for children. It provides more substantial nutrition assistance to low‑income children than all of the nation's child nutrition programs combined. More than half of all food stamp participants are children, and over 80 percent of food stamp benefits go to families with children. Furthermore, the Food Stamp Program is the only social program that creates a national benefit floor under nearly all categories of poor households, assisting low-income children and their families as well as low‑income elderly, disabled and unemployed individuals.


HUNGER DOESN'T TAKE A SUMMER VACATION
When schools close their doors for vacation next summer, over 12 million poor children, who qualify to receive a free or reduced price lunch during the academic year, will be deprived of this vital meal. The implications for these children's health and well-being are significant. For over two months, the vast majority of these children will not have access to nutritious meals like the ones they receive during the school year. We cannot accept this nutrition gap.



SUMMARY OF MAJOR FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE PROGRAMS.