Although a new report indicates an ongoing nationwide drop in the number of children who participated in free summer meals last year, data shows Indiana bucked the trend with more Hoosier kids receiving lunches in 2023 than in 2022.

The released Tuesday by the Food Research & Action Center revealed (FRAC) that 170,926 fewer children benefited from meals served through the Summer Nutrition Programs in 2023 compared to the previous year. That means only 15.3 children received summer lunch for every 100 who received a free or reduced-price school lunch during the previous school year.

But in Indiana, more than 72,000 children participated in free summer lunches on an average day in July 2023 鈥� a nearly 33% increase from 2022. By comparison, 17.3 Hoosier kids ate summer lunch for every 100 who participated in the free and reduced program during the academic year.

Participation rates for breakfast still show room for improvement, however. According to FRAC鈥檚 analysis, 15,157 Hoosier children received breakfast on an average day in July 2023. That鈥檚 an increase of about 11.4% compared to July 2022, but still far less than during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, for example, 73,666 Hoosier kids received free breakfast during the summer.

The overall 2023 participation boost 鈥� though there were previous summer meal increases in 2020 and 2021.

Child nutrition waivers issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture make free meals available at summer meal sites, often located at schools and community centers.

Access was expanded during the pandemic, and until 2023, federal waivers allowed meal sites to operate in all communities and offer meals that families could pick up and take home off-site consumption. Most sites have since reverted to pre-pandemic operations, meaning fewer kids can access free meals.

FRAC, a national nonprofit that aims to reduce poverty-related hunger, releases its summer nutrition report annually. Data is delayed a year however; the newest report highlights summer lunches in 2023, and 2024 numbers won鈥檛 be available for another year.

鈥淭he summer should be about play, adventure, and friends, not rumbling stomachs. Summer meals help keep hunger at bay, so that children can enjoy their break and return to school in the fall healthy and ready to learn,鈥� said Crystal FitzSimons, interim president at FRAC, in a statement.

鈥淢aximizing the opportunities available this summer and beyond will be critical to ensuring that children have the nutrition, and the education and enrichment programming, they need to learn and thrive,鈥� FitzSimons continued. 鈥淣ow is the time to recommit to ending summer hunger, and more must be done.鈥�

Numbers improve, but still low overall

Across the country, most other states saw a decrease in the average daily participation in summer lunch in July 2023 compared to July 2022, according to FRAC.

Nationwide participation for lunch in July 2023 was slightly higher than pre-pandemic levels: 30,533 additional children participated in July 2023 when compared to July 2019, the last summer before the pandemic.

Participation for breakfast in July 2023 was 15.9% lower than July 2022, with 287,096 fewer children participating in 2023, according to the FRAC report.

Even so, Indiana ranked bottom in the country for the ratio of kids who ate both free lunches and breakfasts. Out of every 100 students who ate a summer lunch, only 25 were also served a free breakfast, according to the FRAC data.

Nutrition advocates emphasized that many Indiana families continue to struggle with hunger and food insecurity.

FRAC, specifically, is calling on federal lawmakers to make summer meals 鈥渕ore accessible,鈥� including by making more communities eligible to provide summer meals, allowing all sites to serve three meals (instead of two), streamlining operations so summer sites can operate after school and on weekends during the school year, and providing more funding for summer programs, 鈥渟o that more children have access to the meals and the educational and enrichment activities they need during the summer to return to school well-nourished and ready to learn.鈥�

Summer meal options

The two federal summer nutrition programs 鈥� the Summer Food Service Program and National School Lunch Program 鈥� provide funding to serve meals and snacks to children at sites during summer vacation or the extended breaks of year-round schools. The programs also can be used to feed children during unanticipated school closures.

The SFSP is a federally-funded, state-administered program that reimburses approved program operators who serve free, healthy meals and snacks to children under age 18 in low-income areas when school is not in session.

Sponsorship is open to public and private nonprofit groups, including local governments, summer camps, religious organizations and recreation centers. Organizations may also consider partnering with an existing sponsor, such as a school corporation, to serve students in areas where kids lack good nutrition during the summer months.

Separately, the NSLP is available for schools that operate summer school. Only the students enrolled in summer school can receive a meal, however.

The latest FRAC report indicates the number of SFSP sponsors and sites was practically the same from July 2022 to July 2023. The data shows there were 164 sponsors and 810 sites statewide that provided summer meals in July 2023.

To complement summer meals, the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program,

Thirty-seven states, including Indiana, are participating, to the USDA. Eligible families received $120 in federally funded grocery benefits on an EBT card for each school-age child who is eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.

Some 669,000 school-aged kids in Indiana were eligible, according to FRAC. It鈥檚 not yet clear how many actually participated.

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Elementary school children enjoyed breakfast foods, snacks and milk at Waverly East School in Lansing Wednesday morning as leaders announced a program that will bring free breakfast and lunch to kids around the state 鈥� even when school is out for the summer.

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing), chair of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, led an initiative to pour federal funds into expanding food access during the summer for children. While some children have had access to free food during the school year, this program will make summer meals permanent.

鈥淲e have this great opportunity for breakfast and lunch and in many cases, for snacks in school,鈥� Stabenow said. 鈥淏ut then we get to the summer, and what we have seen is far less funding available, fewer flexibilities and support for summer meals.鈥�

According to Food Bank Council of Michigan Executive Director Phil Knight, Michigan is the first state to implement the program, which is .

Other states are also expected to implement their share of federal funds, but several Republican governors rejected the aid.

鈥淔eeding children should not be a partisan issue,鈥� State Superintendent Michael Rice said.

Stabenow predicted the program will feed 900,000 children in Michigan this summer. The new, permanent funding breaks up into three different categories, so families in different situations have flexibility to get food.

鈥淲e鈥檝e had meals on site for a long time, although you basically have to fight for money every year,鈥� Stabenow said. 鈥淓very year we have to fight to get summer meals, so now this is permanent.鈥�

The first is a 鈥渢raditional summer meals鈥� program, which serves children meals at a specific location and does not require an application. Another program offers 鈥渕eals-to-go,鈥� which are available in more rural areas. Families can pick up multiple meals at a time or get food delivered.

鈥淲e have set up all these flexibilities so that there鈥檚 more opportunities to pick up food,鈥� Stabenow said.

The final option is for kids who attend a school that participates in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Program and receives free or reduced-price lunch or if the child is on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Medicaid.

鈥淲e鈥檙e helping people where they are, not where we wish they were. And we understand that this is not just an expense; it鈥檚 also an investment,鈥� Knight said.

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This year 35 states will participate in a that will help low-income parents buy groceries for their children when free school meals are unavailable during the summer months.

But Texas, which , according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has opted not to join this national effort. If it had, qualifying families would have received $120 per child through a pre-loaded card for the three summer months. The USDA calculated that Texas is passing on a total of $450 million in federal tax dollars that would have gone to eligible families here.

The reason for the pass is simple, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. When the USDA notified HHSC officials of their new Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer, or EBT program on Dec. 29, that gave the nation鈥檚 second largest state only six months to get it up and running and that鈥檚 not enough time, said Tiffany Young, a spokesperson for the state agency.

Although the summer program would involve two other agencies as well 鈥� the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of Agriculture 鈥� HHSC would have to bear the brunt of the work because they would have to coordinate and direct the distribution of the preloaded cards to qualifying families.

Already on their plate is the cumbersome of Medicaid coverage. Since last April, the agency has removed more than 2 million Texans from the program since the federal government lifted continuous coverage rules during the pandemic, forcing those who still qualify for coverage to reapply. From HHSC鈥檚 perspective, launching an entirely new program wouldn鈥檛 be possible at this time.

Additionally, the USDA would only cover 50% of the administrative expenses for Summer EBT. It would be up to the state to cover the residual cost.

Young wrote that the HHSC, TDA and TEA have been in 鈥渁ctive discussions鈥� about each agencies鈥� responsibilities in accordance with Summer EBT.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture first piloted the summer program with Pandemic EBT, or P-EBT, during the 2019-2020 school year in all 50 states. P-EBT was created in response to children from low-income families who qualified for free and reduced-price school meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal officials estimate 21 million children in 35 states, five U.S. territories and four tribes participating in the program would receive the extra money during the summer months.

Texas is one of 15 states that will not participate. Among the 15 is Alabama 鈥� opting out with similar rationale to Texas 鈥� attributing their reasoning to an insufficient amount of time to appropriate the funds necessary for the program.

, school lunch may be the only full meal they get each day. According to Feeding Texas, a nonprofit organization that supplies food banks across the state, one in five children are affected by food insecurity 鈥� defined as an insufficient amount or unreliable sources of food to sustain oneself.

The Texas Department of Agriculture administers the free and reduced meal program for students during the school year. Agriculture Commissioner said he understands the disappointment some families have about Texas鈥� decision not to participate this year. He said his agency would have assisted if the decision was made to participate.

鈥淭he problem we鈥檙e facing 鈥� and we face this at the TDA in our school meals program and our summer feeding programs 鈥� everything is so much more expensive,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淎n extra 40 dollars could have gone a long way to offset that.鈥�

Every Texan petitioned alongside statewide and regional organizations for the program last November, to Cecile Young, executive commissioner of HHSC.

鈥淪ummer EBT is something that we have been advocating for for years, because we know how hard it is in a state as spread out as Texas to access enough food, to be able to afford enough food for their kids when school is closed,鈥� Rachel Cooper told The Texas Tribune.

Though not as comprehensive as Summer EBT, food insecure children still have options for food assistance during the summer. Miller told the Tribune that 鈥渒ids aren鈥檛 going to get fed any less鈥� on account of the TDA鈥檚 expansion of their . Children 18 and under are eligible to receive a free meal at their meal sites across the state.

Parents can also find out if their child鈥檚 school district is one of many that provide free meals during the summer. National organizations, such as the YMCA and Boys & Girls Club, provide summer meal assistance at select locations.

Though it remains possible to secure a balanced meal without Summer EBT, Cooper believes it is still possible and necessary for Texas to join the program in 2025.

鈥淥ur kids need it,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淭hey deserve it, and we just need to do our part.鈥�

Disclosure: Every Texan and Feeding Texas have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete .

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