Offering families financial assistance to purchase food in the summer improved school-aged children’s food security by 20 percent and boosted the quality of their diets, according to an April 2018 study published in Pediatrics.
Eight percent of households with children in the U.S. were “food insecure” in 2016, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report. For these households, “their access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources,” according to the report. Food insecurity has been linked to numerous health concerns, including growth and cognitive issues in children.
