A recent report shows that while fewer children across the country participated in free summer meals last year, Indiana saw an increase. More Hoosier kids received lunches in 2023 compared to 2022.
The Food Research & Action Center FRAC reported that 170,926 fewer children nationwide benefited from the Summer Nutrition Programs in 2023. Only 15.3 out of every 100 children who received free or reduced-price lunches during the school year got summer meals.
In Indiana, however, over 72,000 children received free lunches in July 2023, a 33% rise from 2022. Around 17.3 Hoosier kids ate summer lunches for every 100 who participated in the school lunch program.
While lunch participation improved, breakfast numbers lagged. About 15,157 Hoosier children received breakfast in July 2023, an 11.4% increase from the previous year. However, this is much lower than during the pandemic when over 73,000 children received summer breakfasts in 2021.
The boost in summer meal participation follows a decline in 2022, with increases seen in 2020 and 2021 due to pandemic-related waivers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These waivers made meals more accessible, allowing families to pick up meals from school and community sites. As waivers expired, fewer children had access to the free meals.
FRAC, which aims to reduce hunger, releases an annual report on summer nutrition. The most recent data is from 2023, and the 2024 numbers will be available next year.
“Summer meals help children enjoy their break without worrying about hunger. It’s important to ensure kids get the nutrition they need,” said FRAC interim president Crystal FitzSimons.
Despite Indiana’s improvement, the state still ranks low for children receiving both free lunches and breakfasts. Only 25 out of every 100 children who got a lunch also received breakfast.
FRAC is urging lawmakers to make summer meals more accessible, proposing more funding and allowing communities to serve three meals a day. They also want more flexibility for programs to operate during weekends and school breaks.
Indiana offers two federal programs for summer meals: the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the National School Lunch Program NSLP. These programs provide funding to serve meals and snacks to children during summer vacation and school closures.
The SFSP allows public and private organizations, like local governments and camps, to sponsor free meals for kids in low-income areas. The NSLP offers meals to students attending summer school.
In 2023, Indiana had 164 sponsors and 810 sites providing summer meals. A new program, the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program, also launched, giving eligible families $120 in grocery benefits per child. In Indiana, around 669,000 kids qualified, though it’s unclear how many participated.