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USDA today announced the award of $31.5 million in Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children Grants to explore ways to alleviate hunger among low-income children during the summer, including new projects in Texas and Tennessee. Rigorous evaluations of continuing projects have found that Summer EBT can significantly reduce very low food security among children, the most severe form of food insecurity, by one-third.

USDA today announced the seven retail firms selected to take part in a pilot designed to enable SNAP participants to purchase their groceries online. The two-year pilot is slated to begin this summer. 

FNS today awarded $6.7 million in grants during the back to school season to expand and enhance training for school nutrition and child care professionals working to support healthy environments for our nation’s youth. 

USDA today announced the organizations selected to participate in a nationwide pilot designed to improve access to groceries for homebound elderly and disabled persons participating in SNAP. Nearly one in five SNAP participants is either elderly or disabled and therefore may face unique obstacles to obtaining healthy food at the grocery store.

Today Agriculture Under Secretary Kevin Concannon announced that USD) will provide extra nutrition support to Flint, Michigan to help low-income residents affected by lead contamination in the city’s water.  In response to a request from the state, FNS will provide additional food to recipients of The Emergency Food Assistance Program in the Flint area to help address the ongoing crisis.  

USDA today awarded $16.8 million in competitive grants to help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants increase their purchases of fruits and vegetables. The funding comes from the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Results of USDA's report posted today on the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children demonstration project confirm a significant reduction in food insecurity among participating families. The project tested two benefit levels – $30 and $60 per month per child – both of which were found to reduce the most severe form of food insecurity and led to positive nutritional outcomes.

Under Secretary Kevin Concannon today announced $26.9 million in grant funds to be distributed among eight grantees to continue administering pilots of the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer programs, providing summertime nutrition assistance to children who receive free and reduced price meals during the school year. In addition to funding existing pilots for summer 2016, these grants will extend benefits to new rural areas, Tribal Nations, and areas of extreme need including Flint, Michigan. 

Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that 10 states have been selected to take part in SNAP to Skills, a first-of-its-kind, peer-to-peer effort to help state agencies design improved employment and training programs for adults participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in order to help them find employment and ultimately move off the SNAP program.

As part of USDA's ongoing efforts to support residents in Flint, Mich., Dr. Kathryn Wilson, FNCS Deputy Under Secretary today announced that USDA will temporarily allow Michigan to use WIC funds to conduct lead testing for WIC participants. An estimated 3,800 WIC participants could potentially be tested as a result of this action.

USDA is committed to assisting residents affected by the Flint, Michigan, water crisis. While the water emergency in Flint remains primarily a public health crisis addressed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, USDA is committed to using all resources available to assist in the response and to provide relief to those affected by the water contamination. To date, USDA has provided the following assistance:

Today, the White House will host a conversation about child hunger in America, with experts and direct service providers discussing how hunger continues to harm children across the country. Participants will discuss the role of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other core nutrition programs in ensuring American children have the fuel they need to thrive. 

Today, on behalf of the White House Rural Council, six federal agencies joined together to announce the selection of 27 communities in 22 states that will participate in Local Foods, Local Places, a federal initiative that helps communities increase economic opportunities for local farmers and related businesses, create vibrant places and promote childhood wellness by improving access to healthy local food.

The subject today is child nutrition, and we have three people to whom this subject is very important: the Secretary of Agriculture, the president of the national pediatric association, and the director of nutrition research at the Pew Charitable Trusts.

USDA is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of older adults, ensuring that all older Americans have access to healthy food and that older adults in rural America have access to housing. Low-income older Americans continue to be an underserved and vulnerable population, due in part to administrative complexities associated with participating in federal assistance programs.

While representing USDA at the annual conference of the National Association of Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations today, Under Secretary Kevin Concannon announced close to $1 million in grants to support nutrition education programs for participants of the USDA’s Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. In total, 15 nutrition education projects serving participants in 17 states were selected through a competitive award process that was open to tribal nations and state agencies that administer FDPIR.

Today, Secretary Tom Vilsack joined representatives from Milwaukee's Hunger Task Force, the Kohl's Corporation, and members of the Milwaukee community to bring attention to childhood hunger.

Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA has awarded $31.5 million in funding to local, state and national organizations to support programs that help participants in SNAP increase their purchase of fruits and vegetables.

Secretary Tom Vilsack, joined by Labor Secretary Tom Perez, today announced the recipients of $200 million in competitive awards to fund and evaluate pilot projects in 10 states to help SNAP participants find jobs and work toward self-sufficiency. Projects in California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Virginia, Vermont and Washington were chosen.

In a speech at the National Farmers Union Convention today, Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the availability of $96.8 million in grants to fund innovative projects designed to support specialty crop producers, local food entrepreneurs, and farm to school efforts, which in turn will increase access to healthy, nutritious food for American families and children.