FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Suzanne Arnold, [email protected], (609) 610-4957 (M)

Washington, D.C. (March 26, 2021) – After yesterday’s Senate Agriculture Committee hearing beginning the process of reauthorizing child nutrition legislation, Cassidy Pont, Federal Governments Relations Manager at Save the Children Action Network (SCAN), issued the following statement on behalf of SCAN:

We are thrilled that Congress has started bipartisan conversations about the Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR), and are hopeful that these discussions yield far-reaching, positive results in the health of America’s kids. The CNR provides an opportunity to improve and modernize school meals and summer feeding programs, as well as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The reauthorization also provides a chance to simplify enrollment processes, expand eligibility criteria, streamline services, strengthen nutrition standards, eliminate stigmas associated with receiving food assistance and allow programs to better meet the nation’s growing food and nutrition insecurity crises.  

Child hunger has skyrocketed since the onset of COVID-19 and highlighted the importance of improving child nutrition programs, making this reauthorization more important than ever before. Therefore, we are encouraged by the ongoing bipartisan conversations, and applaud Congress for taking the necessary steps to find long-lasting solutions to help provide nutritious food to the 17 million children going hungry in America.

SCAN – together with its 375,000 advocates nationwide – will continue to advocate for the CNR to ensure each and every child in America has access to the critical nutrition and health services needed to grow, develop and thrive.

 

# # #

Save the Children Action Network was created in 2014 as the political advocacy arm of Save the Children, to be the political voice for kids. We work to ensure that the issues critical to children’s lives and futures are given top priority by our elected leaders, building bipartisan support to make sure every child has a strong start in life. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.