Frances Wolf urges USDA and Congress to extend child food services

Pennsylvania’s First Lady Frances Wolf joined 17 other first spouses and partners to urge federal leaders to continue child nutrition programs for the rest of the school school year.

In letters to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and to congressional leadership sent Friday, Wolf and her counterparts asked the entities to work together to extend and fully fund the services.

In March, the USDA began offering waivers to some requirements to school lunch programs and other services. The agency had extended some waivers in late August, allowing schools and community partners to serve meals to children at no charge until funding runs out, or as late as Dec. 31. But some advocates worry the services will end too soon, as the covid-19 pandemic continues with no end in sight. Without congressional action, the USDA’s authority to extend the programs again will end Sept. 30.

“We understand that the parties we have written to have taken steps to continue these feeding programs, and we thank them for their effort,” Wolf said in a statement. “However, as we cannot see the end of the pandemic, when families’ financial situations will be back to normal or when our education system will stabilize, it is imperative that we plan to assist our residents for as long as we can.”

Separate letters to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue and to congressional leaders ask that the entities work together to find funding for child nutrition programs and extend waiver services through the entire 2020-21 school year. The letters also point out that USDA has granted waivers to other requirements pertaining to school meal programs through June 2021, such as meal time restrictions and area eligibility.

“Our children are our greatest resource, and there is no more necessary action than safeguarding their access to life-sustaining meals,” both letters read. “The continuation of these waivers will help alleviate confusion for families, eliminate excessive administrative burdens placed on staff and, ultimately, ensure that all children have enough to eat.”

According to a news release, the 18 people who signed the letter come from states with more than 30 million children combined. The letters quote statistics from Feeding America, a national nonprofit operating a network of food banks across the country. Feeding America research shows that more than 54 million people, including 18 million children, may experience food insecurity this year. That’s an increase of 46% in general food insecurity rates, the letters say, and a 64% increase in child food insecurity rates, compared to statistics gathered before the pandemic.