Rural Children Lack Access to Nutrition Programs
 Through
funding provided entirely by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
low-income children in every community could receive a summer
lunch through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or the Child
and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). In fact, most rural children
never get a chance.
Two-thirds of Pennsylvania’s poor children live
outside of Philadelphia and Allegheny counties. Yet the SFSP,
which is designed to swing into action during the summer when
children are not eating lunch in schools, exists mainly in our
two largest cities. Only 28 percent of summer meals are served
in the other 65 counties.
The problem isn’t a lack of concern. Rural school
districts and community-based organizations often inquire about
the Summer Food Program, only to abandon the idea after learning
the administrative details. Two major barriers stand in the way.
The first is the cost of transporting children to a feeding site,
a cost that is not reimbursed under existing rules. The second
is that in areas where less than 50 percent of the children qualify
for free or reduced price lunches in school, the eligibility of
each child must be determined. This is time-consuming and expensive.
Rural children face similar barriers in the Child
and Adult Care Food Program, which is designed to provide meals
to low-income children while they are in daycare. If located in
an area where 50 percent of the children qualify for free or reduced
price school meals, a participating daycare provider can serve
all children in her care and receive the top reimbursement rate
($1.80 for each lunch served). But if located in an area where
less than 50 percent are eligible for free or reduced price school
meals, the reimbursement rate drops significantly (to $1.09 per
lunch).
“Under current rules, it’s very difficult to
make these programs work in rural Pennsylvania,” said Berry Friesen
of Hunger Action. “For example, in Wayne County 37 percent of
the children are low-income, a significantly higher rate than
in an urban county such as Allegheny (31 percent). Yet in Wayne,
not one of the school attendance zones reaches the magical 50
percent threshold. Administratively, this is a huge barrier to
the agencies and eventually to the children of that county.”
In the next Congress, the rules for these programs
will be reviewed and perhaps changed. Two Pennsylvania congressmen
(James Greenwood from Bucks County and Todd Platts from York and
Adams counties) serve on the Committee that will conduct the review.
Hunger Action has asked them for help. Here are the key recommendations.
- Lower area eligibility to 40 percent, thus making another
180 elementary school attendance zones “area eligible.
- Reimburse the cost of transporting children to summer feeding
sites.
- Increase the administrative rate for CACFP sponsors who promote
the program to rural daycare providers.
If interested in supporting these recommendations,
contact Sue or Berry at
Hunger Action.
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