Ensuring Continuous Nutritional Support for K-12 Students During Summer Recess
WHEREAS, Consistent access to nutritious meals is paramount for the physical growth, cognitive development, and overall well-being of children and adolescents; and
WHEREAS, The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) serves as a critical source of balanced, nutritious meals for millions of students across the United States during the academic year, with over 29.6 million children receiving lunch through the program daily; and
WHEREAS, A significant number of these students come from low-income families and rely on the NSLP for their primary source of nutrition, with the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) reporting that 75% of the meals served under the NSLP are either free or at a reduced price; and
WHEREAS, The onset of summer recess creates a nutritional gap for these students, leaving them vulnerable to food insecurity, as highlighted by the USDA's Economic Research Service, which found that children and adolescents are at a higher risk of experiencing food insecurity during summer months; and
WHEREAS, The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), designed to bridge this gap, reaches only a fraction of those in need, with the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) noting that only 1 in 7 children who receive free or reduced-price lunches during the school year benefit from the SFSP; and
WHEREAS, The lack of adequate nutrition during the summer can lead to negative outcomes such as summer learning loss, weight gain, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, and health complications, thus widening the achievement gap between low-income students and their more affluent peers.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People calls upon local, state, and federal policymakers to:
- Expand the availability and accessibility of the SFSP to ensure that no child goes hungry during the summer months.
- Enhance community outreach and awareness campaigns to ensure families are informed of the availability of summer meal programs.
- Encourage partnerships between schools, non-profit organizations, community centers, and local businesses to provide stable, accessible sites for summer meal distribution.
- Advocate for policy changes that simplify the SFSP application process, reducing administrative barriers for schools and community organizations wishing to participate.
- Promote the integration of educational and enrichment activities within summer meal programs to address summer learning loss and engage students in a constructive manner during the recess period.
- Secure sustainable funding to support the expansion and enhancement of summer meal programs, ensuring that these essential services are not subject to the whims of annual budgetary constraints.