Connecticut leaders highlight SUN Meals program to combat summer child hunger

On Friday, July 18, Connecticut Foodshare held a roundtable and press conference with community advocates and local and state leaders to discuss summer food insecurity and summer meal options for Connecticut families.

The USDA SUN Meals program, administered by the Connecticut State Department of Education, provides free meals to children 18 and under across the state from June to August, ensuring that no child goes hungry during the summer months. Meals are available at schools, parks, and other neighborhood locations. No application is needed, and the full list of meal sites can be found here: www.fns.usda.gov/summer/sitefinder.

Summer is the most challenging time of year for food-insecure families because kids are not in school and lose access to free school breakfast and lunch. In Connecticut, more than 122,000 children (1 in 6) are food insecure. Since 2020, child food insecurity in the state has increased by 35%. According to Feeding America, more than 20 million kids in the United States rely on school meals during the year. When school is out for the summer, families are left scrambling to fill the gap.

“SUN Meals does really important work to keep kids in Connecticut fed, but Republican cuts to SNAP make it harder for SUN Meals to provide nutritious meals to kids during the summer months,” said U.S. Senator Chris Murphy. “It’s unconscionable, and I’ll continue fighting to make sure no kid goes hungry.”

“With schools out for the summer, many children lose access to free, healthy meals. And now as families face increasing anxiety over making ends meet in the continued wake of federal cuts, food insecurity and hunger in our state continue to increase,” said Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz. “Access to SUN Meals ensures that kids are able to maintain access to free, nutritious meals at sites located throughout the state – keeping them fueled all summer long.”

“SUN Meals help kids get access to the nutritious food they need to thrive when school is out for the summer,” said Jason Jakubowski, President and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare. “In the wake of cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, programs like SUN Meals will be even more essential to ensuring that children in communities across Connecticut have enough healthy food during the summer months.”

“No child should go hungry just because school is out for the summer,” said East Hartford Mayor Connor Martin. “Through the SUN Meals Program, East Hartford is stepping up to ensure our kids have access to the healthy food they need to grow, learn, and thrive all year long. We’re incredibly grateful to East Hartford Public Schools, our Health and Human Services Department, Parks and Recreation, our partners—Connecticut Foodshare, the USDA, Sodexo—and all those working behind the scenes to make this program possible.”

“SUN Meals address the critical need of proper nutrition for children and a belief that summer vacation should not end the availability of nutritious meals for children,” said John Frassinelli, Division Director of School Health, Nutrition, and Family Services at the State Department of Education. “It is an important tool to provide continued access to nutritious meals when school is out and contribute to combating summer learning loss.”

“DSS is proud to support the SUN Programs, including SUN Meals, that help ensure Connecticut children don’t go hungry during the summer months when school is out,” said the Connecticut Department of Social Services. “Alongside SUN Meals, DSS has issued $36.7 million in Summer EBT SUN Bucks to over 306,000 children across the state.”

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Connecticut leaders highlight SUN Meals program to combat summer child hunger