Katie Couric cites Half in Ten report on summer hunger
Recently, Katie Couric spoke on CBS News about reauthorization of the Improving Child Nutrition Act and more specifically, the need to improve access to summer meals. Citing a column by Half in Ten Campaign Manager, Melissa Boteach, and Feeding America’s Senior Policy Counsel, Sophie Milam, Couric states that while nearly 20 million children get free or reduced price lunch at school, only 1 in 6 of these children will receive subsidized meals for the summer.
The main obstacles are the shortage of sites where these meals can be served, a lack of transportation to get to these sites, and a lack of funding to for these programs to be sustainable from year to year.
Congress has the opportunity to act this year on a child nutrition bill that would improve access to summer meals among other things. With 1 in 4 children in the US at risk for hunger, Couric urges “last day of school shouldn’t mean last call for lunch.” Half in Ten couldn’t agree more.
For the full column, click here
