Congressman Dan Goldman Fights to Feed School Children Year-Round

Gap in Funding for Summer Nutrition Programs Contributes to Worsening Food Insecurity

Over 13 Million Children Faced Hunger in 2022

Read the Bill Here

Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (NY-09) and Congressman Marc Molinaro (NY-19) in introducing the ‘Summer Nutrition Parity Act’ to help local summer meal providers keep up with inflation and continue serving meals to children. This legislation would make the formula that determines the aid schools get for summer meals equal to the formula that decides aid for school-year meals. This updated formula will allow summer meal providers to keep up with inflation and continue serving meals to children throughout the year.

“Hunger doesn’t take a summer vacation, nor does inflation take a summer hiatus,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “We must ensure that our children are fed year-round so they don’t have to worry about where their next meal will come from. The lack of updated funding guidance for summer nutrition programs deprives many children of what may be their only meal that day. It’s time for Congress to give schools the resources they need to ensure kids are happy, healthy, and well fed all year-round.”

The US Department of Agriculture provides food sanctioned for children in need through two main programs: The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). While the SFSP is meant to address the nutrition gaps that are present during the summer months, there is a disparity in the resources provided between the two programs. While the NSLP provides for 40 cents worth of USDA products per meal, the SFSP only provides 1.5 cents worth of products. This due to the fact that program rates have not been adjusted for inflation in decades.

In the United States, more than 1 in 6 families with children is struggling with food insecurity. Inadequate nourishment during a child’s development puts them at a significantly higher risk for a variety of problems such as higher rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. Improper nutrition is also associated with asthma, diabetes, anemia, and oral disease.

Congressman Dan Goldman is committed to fighting food insecurity for children and families across the nation.

In June of 2023, Goldman cosponsored the ‘Food Deserts Act,’ which would help eliminate food deserts by supporting grocery stores in underserved communities, and the 'Hot Foods Act,' which would expand the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to allow participants to purchase hot foods such as prepared rotisserie chickens, hot sandwiches, and soups.

Additionally, the Congressman cosponsored the ‘WIC For Kids Act’ to increase access to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program under the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program. The ‘WIC For Kids Act’ would simplify the enrollment process for WIC by automatically granting WIC eligibility for mothers and children who reside in a household in which a member participates is other assistance programs such as SNAP or Medicaid.

Congressman Dan Goldman is a founding member of the Congressional Dads Caucus.

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