Fighting Childhood Hunger and Obesity When School's Out: A Collaborative Approach to Increase Participation in USDA Summer Feeding Programs

In California, like much of the nation, the Great Recession has had a devastating impact on the economic stability of families. Safety net programs like he National School Lunch Program have been essential to ensure that low-income children are fed adequately and are ready and able to learn.

But when schools let out for summer vacation, many of these same children go hungry -- reflecting a nationwide trend. For 2 million low-income California children, the stability and nutrition offered through the school lunch program all but disappears in the summer months.

The California Summer Meal Coalition, a statewide collaborative, was formed to tackle childhood hunger and obesity by increasing access to subsidized summer meal programs available through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

This statewide coalition includes leaders from school districts, the California Department of Education, California Department of Public Health, after-school organizations, food policy and anti-hunger advocates, and youth development and community-based organizations. This cross-discipline coalition effectively identifies opportunities and barriers to participation in summer feeding programs and uses a variety of methods to increase the number of summer meal providers, support the integration of nutrition education, and promote the serving of high-quality food in summer meal programs.