School Meals For All

Protect School Meals: Oppose SNAP Cuts

Proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) threaten access to school meals for millions of children across the country. SNAP and school meals are closely connected: weakening one program directly harms the other. It is critical that Congress protect both programs and ensure no child goes hungry by opposing SNAP cuts.

What SNAP Cuts Would Mean for School Meals

 

  • Higher Food Costs and Increased Food Insecurity: Food insecurity has surpassed pre-pandemic levels and continues to rise. California’s high cost-of-living already hurts families struggling to afford everyday necessities. Combined with surging food prices, SNAP cuts will exacerbate the affordability crisis and further restrict access to food for our country’s most vulnerable – our children.

  • Fewer Children Would Qualify for School Meals: Children in SNAP households are automatically certified for free school meals. Cutting SNAP means fewer families would qualify for the School Meals program, putting children at further risk for hunger and negative health and learning outcomes.

  • More Administrative Burden: Families who lose SNAP benefits will have to complete school meal applications, creating an administrative burden for both families and school staff. Inevitably, some eligible children will miss out on school meals due to the added complexity of application forms.

  • Fewer Schools Will Offer Free Meals: Fewer schools will qualify for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows schools with high poverty rates to offer free meals to all students. Because CEP reimbursements are primarily based on the number of directly certified students, SNAP cuts would reduce the number of schools that can provide free meals to hungry students.

 

Take Action
 
Contact your members of Congress today and urge them to reject any proposal that would reduce access to SNAP and jeopardize the well-being of our nation’s children.