Classes ending in June means boundless joy for kids, right? Not if they're among the 30 million students who qualify for the federally-assisted meal program and who now likely face “summer hunger”—the result of food-insecure families losing access to the free breakfasts and lunches their children rely on at school throughout the rest of the year, bringing more anxiety, health issues, and academic decline.
“We know summer is the hungriest time of year,” says Rachel Sabella, director of No Kid Hungry New York, a campaign aiming to end childhood hunger nationally, which partnered with HelloFresh and YouGov to commission a survey on the topic. It revealed that 41% of parents struggle in some way to provide food when school is closed, and that nearly half (44%) of parents are more worried now than they were this time last year about getting their kids fed.
