By — Megan Thompson Megan Thompson Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/kids-school-also-missing-subsidized-lunch Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Kids out of school also missing subsidized lunch Nation Jun 8, 2014 8:08 PM EDT School is letting out all across the country. And for millions of children, summer vacation also means losing access to free or reduced-price lunch and breakfast programs. More than 21 million kids rely on these programs during the school year, but only three million have access to nutrition programs during the summer. Jim Weill, President of the Food Research and Action Center, joins NewsHour Weekend correspondent Megan Thompson via Google+ to talk about the organization’s latest report on childhood hunger. The lack of access to nutrition programs can increase both hunger and obesity, as kids eat cheaper, less-nutritious meals at home. It can also strain the budgets of families already struggling to get by. A new report by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) found both good news and bad in its latest assessment of this issue. After years of decline, participation in federal Summer Nutrition Programs increased by 5.7 percent between 2012 and 2013, the first major increase in a decade. But still only a fraction of the low-income kids who need the programs are being served. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Megan Thompson Megan Thompson Megan Thompson shoots, produces and reports on-camera for PBS NewsHour Weekend. Her report "Costly Generics" earned an Emmy nomination and won Gracie and National Headliner Awards. She was also recently awarded a Rosalynn Carter Fellowship to report on the issue of mental health. Previously, Thompson worked for the PBS shows and series Need to Know, Treasures of New York, WorldFocus and NOW on PBS. Prior to her career in journalism she worked in research and communications on Capitol Hill. She originally hails from the great state of Minnesota and holds a BA from Wellesley College and a MA in Journalism from New York University. @megbthompson
School is letting out all across the country. And for millions of children, summer vacation also means losing access to free or reduced-price lunch and breakfast programs. More than 21 million kids rely on these programs during the school year, but only three million have access to nutrition programs during the summer. Jim Weill, President of the Food Research and Action Center, joins NewsHour Weekend correspondent Megan Thompson via Google+ to talk about the organization’s latest report on childhood hunger. The lack of access to nutrition programs can increase both hunger and obesity, as kids eat cheaper, less-nutritious meals at home. It can also strain the budgets of families already struggling to get by. A new report by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) found both good news and bad in its latest assessment of this issue. After years of decline, participation in federal Summer Nutrition Programs increased by 5.7 percent between 2012 and 2013, the first major increase in a decade. But still only a fraction of the low-income kids who need the programs are being served. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now