Many families and individuals are struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s important to know where you can find help. This article will go through some basic steps you can take to find good, nutritional food.
Food and Nutrition Service
The FNS works with partners on the state and local levels to provide access to food for children and low-income families. In addition to providing this help, the FNS has also expanded its range of benefits in response to the ongoing pandemic. Take a look below to see a description of some key additions to the FNS program:
- Emergency Allotments (EA) – States can issue emergency benefits to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households that usually receive less than the maximum amount.
- Pandemic EBT – States are able to provide more benefits to children who receive free or discounted school meals.
- SNAP Online Shopping – FNS has approved SNAP families to buy their food online in an effort to promote social distancing
Government Assistance to Food resources
- The Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020
- Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021
- American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
Each of these acts gives the Secretary of Agriculture the power to approve state agencies to enact these programs. The American Rescue Plan Act was enacted after statistics showed as many as 30 million adults and 12 million children may not always have access to healthy foods. Among other things written into the act, one is an extension of the 15% increase in SNAP benefits or $27 per month per person. Another highlight of the American Rescue Plan Act is an expansion of the SNAP online purchasing program.
Through these acts, over $880 million has been invested in fresh fruits and vegetables for moms and babies in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. Another $37 million was assigned for senior nutrition through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and $1 billion in food assistance for American Samoa, CNMI, and Puerto Rico.
Other Highlights
- Nearly 40 million meals have been given out to rural children through the Meals to You program.
- Over 99% of eligible children are covered by the Pandemic-EBT
- There are over 87,000 Meals for Kids locations across all 50 states and two territories.
For more information on each program, and to find out if you quality, go to USDA Food and Nutrition Services.
