Hunger Solutions New York is excited to announce it has been awarded a two-year $500,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to support a multi-faceted project to increase children’s access to federal anti-hunger programs. Through targeted efforts focused on schools, this project aims to connect children around the state with federal nutrition programs to ensure they are nourished in and out of the classroom.
Our project focuses on maximizing the reach of New York’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) expansion. CEP is a federal provision that allows high-poverty schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students. Recent state investments—the result of our Healthy School Meals for All New York Kids advocacy—have significantly increased the number of schools that can serve free school meals to all students through CEP. Our project includes outreach and technical assistance to ensure all eligible schools can leverage CEP to provide free meals to all of their students.
Increased SNAP participation among families with children can increase a school’s likelihood of qualifying for CEP. In turn, we will conduct targeted SNAP outreach focused on schools on the cusp of CEP eligibility, so more schools become eligible for the provision. Our child nutrition team will also work with current CEP schools to explore opportunities to further improve meal access, such as implementing innovative service models for school breakfast and summer meals, and starting new afterschool meal programs.
The grant also supports efforts to gather and amplify best practices and use storytelling to highlight the impact of CEP on students, families, and schools across the state. Additionally, this grant will support research to better understand child nutrition program participation trends and barriers and facilitators to further growth. Combined, these efforts will ensure New York’s historic investments in CEP reach as many children as possible, improving food access for children and families across the state.
The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of vulnerable communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services. Named after a tireless advocate for immigrants, children, and the poor, the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation funds programs and initiatives across New York State that either provide direct healthcare services or address the social determinants of health.