Federal Policy

Tell Congress to Pass a Child Nutrition Reauthorization Now

Nearly 12 million kids struggle to know where their next meal will come from, impacting everything from health and learning to development and success. In the summer months, child hunger spikes as children lose access to school meals. It’s vital that our lawmakers take action to ensure no child in the U.S. faces hunger at any time of the year.

CNR is the process Congress uses to update the child nutrition programs, including the School Breakfast Program (SBP), National School Lunch Program (NSLP), summer and afterschool nutrition programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Email your Representative to pass the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act today!

Protect and Strengthen Federal Nutrition Programs

The Food Bank, as a member of the Feeding America network, seeks alignment with their legislative priorities. These include:

  1. Protect nutrition programs through the federal budget process;
  2. Protect and strengthen federal nutrition programs;
  3. Support policies to increase food donation and reduce food waste;
  4. Reduce hunger through federal appropriations;
  5. Strengthen tax policies supporting charitable donations;
  6. Strengthen and protect federal nutrition programs through administrative actions.

 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Formerly known as food stamps, SNAP helps put food on the table for more than 1.8 million Pennsylvanians each month by providing money on an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card for food purchases.
SNAP Policy Priorities
The Food Bank works to protect SNAP from funding cuts and harmful policy changes and to improve benefit adequacy. SNAP benefits are already inadequate for most families to purchase enough food to provide a healthy diet throughout the month. The Food Bank mobilizes our network as needed to advocate to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and elected officials about the importance of SNAP for families, farmers, food processors and vendors.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)

TEFAP provides nutritious commodities to food banks which – in partnership with local pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters – provide the food to low-income Americans in need of short-term hunger relief.
TEFAP Policy Priorities
  • Obtain $100 million for TEFAP Storage and Distribution Funds (providing funds to help pay for storage and distribution of the commodities provided by the government).
  • Provide full funding for Section 32 so that USDA can provide market support through bonus commodities for TEFAP when prices are low.
  • Encourage the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to apply bonus TEFAP purchase criteria as generously as possible and make specialty crop purchases for TEFAP to increase the availability of TEFAP commodities.

Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)

Now known as the “PA Senior Food Box Program” in Pennsylvania, CSFP leverages government buying power to provide nutritious food packages each month to low-income seniors with incomes below 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Line.
CSFP Policy Priorities
The Food Bank supports efforts to provide sufficient funding for CSFP to maintain current program caseloads.

Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG)

The CDBG program works to ensure decent affordable housing; to provide services to the most vulnerable in our communities; and to create jobs through the expansion and retention of businesses. It is a flexible program that provides communities with resources to address a wide range of community development needs. The program provides annual grants on a formula basis to local governments and states. While the funding flows from the federal government, the ultimate decision regarding the allocation of these funds to the Food Bank rests with Allegheny County and City of Pittsburgh governments.
CDBG Policy Priorities
Federal funding for CDBG has been on the decline over the past several years – except for special funding provided for pandemic relief – which has ultimately affected the Food Bank’s allocations from county and city government. The Food Bank works to protect CDBG funding at the federal level and continues to advocate for a strong commitment of funds from Allegheny County and City of Pittsburgh governments.

Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)

SFSP is a federally funded, state-administered program. The SFSP reimburses providers who serve free healthy meals to children and teens in low-income areas during the summer months when school is not in session. 
SFSP Policy Priorities
  • Streamline regulations for community-based providers so that they can feed children year-round
  • Align the area eligibility requirement for summer feeding and educational programs to allow more learning programs to offer meals in the summer
  • Provide a Summer electronic benefits transfer (EBT) grocery card to families with children eligible for free and reduced-price school meals during the summer months and when schools are closed to supplement their household food budgets
  • Allow kids to consume meals off-site, which would enable communities to adopt innovative program models to reach children who lack access to a summer feeding site

National School Lunch Program (NSLP)

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential childcare institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost, or no-cost lunches to children each school day.
NSLP Policy Priorities
  • Strengthen access to and quality of school meals to support reducing child hunger, improving nutrition and health and supporting learning.
  • Make the Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) program permanent for all out-of-school time throughout the year. Out-of-school time would qualify as any time schools close: summer, weekends, as well as temporary and indefinite school closures.

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

WIC safeguards the health of low-income women, infants and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk. WIC enables the purchase of nutritious foods to supplement diets, nutrition education (including breastfeeding promotion and support) and referrals to health and other social services.
WIC Policy Priorities
Increase participation of eligible families in WIC to connect more pregnant and postpartum mothers and young children who are low income with health and social service referrals and culturally appropriate, nutritious foods that contribute to their overall health and well-being.

School Breakfast Program (SBP)

SBP is a federally funded meal program operating in public and non-profit private schools and residential childcare institutions. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the Federal poverty level are eligible for free meals. (Include the level for reduced price meals)
SBP Policy Priorities
  • Strengthen access to and quality of school meals to support reducing child hunger, improving nutrition and health, and supporting learning.
  • Make the Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) program permanent for all out-of-school time throughout the year.Out-of-school time would qualify as any time schools close: summer, weekends, as well as temporary and indefinite school closures.

Child and Adult Care Feeding Program (CACFP)

CACFP provides meals and snacks to children in daycare, emergency shelters and afterschool programs, as well as adults through nonresidential adult day care centers.  CACFP plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care while making it more affordable for low-income families. 
CACFP Policy Priorities
Streamline program regulations to coincide with Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in order to feed children year-round seamlessly through the federal nutrition programs. Currently, SFSP sponsors and schools must apply to and operate CACFP in order to provide children — often the same children — suppers after school during the school year. This creates duplicative paperwork and confusing administrative rules that discourage participation.