Congressman Rick Larsen (WA-02) and Congressman Don Young (R-AK) today introduced the Summer Meals Act – bipartisan legislation to fight childhood hunger by expanding access to summer meal programs in Washington and Alaska and across the country. The Summer Meals Act helps strengthen childhood nutrition by cutting red tape for local organizations serving summer meals and expanding the availability of meals and snacks to students outside of normal school hours.

“Nearly one in eight Washingtonians suffer from food insecurity. Summer months are especially hard for low-income children to access meals, because they lose access to free and reduced-price school meals,” said Congressman Rick Larsen. “Hunger is not restricted to the school year. Congress must act to address hunger, especially childhood hunger, year-round. The Summer Meals Act will guarantee children can access regular, healthy meals regardless of the season.”

“I am proud to introduce the Summer Meals Act, a bipartisan effort to give kids throughout Alaska and the nation better access to meals during the summer,” said Congressman Don Young. “As it stands, current federal regulations are forcing Alaskan non-profits to waste vital resources and funding to meet duplicative and unnecessary standards when administering various child nutrition programs. My bill would eliminate this bureaucracy and increase the impact of summer meal programs in rural areas and across the country. As a former teacher, I know that if kids are not eating, they are not learning. These programs are critical to helping students avoid losing their academic gains throughout the summer months, and this legislation works to ensure that more students start the school year healthy and ready to learn. I thank Congressman Rick Larsen for joining me in this important effort on behalf of our nation’s future.”

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