When school lets out for the summer, millions of children across the United States lose more than just structure and supervision—they lose access to dependable, nutritious meals. For working parents already stretched thin, this seasonal shift intensifies the challenge of keeping their children fed and cared for during the day. At Feed America, we understand that food insecurity doesn’t take a vacation. Our mission continues through the summer months, not only by addressing urgent nutritional needs, but by advocating for long-term solutions that support working families year-round.
The Safety Net of School Meals
During the school year, over 29 million children receive free or reduced-price lunches through the National School Lunch Program. For countless working families—especially those with lower incomes—this program provides vital support, ensuring that children have at least one dependable, healthy meal each weekday. When summer arrives and school cafeterias close, that safety net disappears. Suddenly, parents must figure out how to provide those missed meals on their own—often while juggling full-time jobs and inconsistent schedules.
Summer’s Sudden Food Gap
Without school meals to rely on, many families turn to local food banks, summer camps (if affordable), or free meal distribution programs. But these resources are often limited, inconsistent, or inaccessible due to location or transportation challenges. According to recent analysis from the USDA, households with children are far more likely to experience food insecurity during the summer months. The need is there—but the infrastructure to meet it falls short in many communities.
The Working Parent’s Summer Dilemma
For working parents, especially those in shift-based or hourly roles, summer introduces a harsh dilemma: How do you maintain a job while making sure your child has meals, supervision, and structure throughout the day? Unlike higher-income households, many families cannot afford summer programs or camps that offer both care and meals. Even when they can, the cost often consumes a significant portion of their income, forcing trade-offs that no parent should have to make. And for parents in essential roles—grocery store clerks, hospital workers, warehouse employees—taking time off just isn’t an option.
This is the reality for too many American families. It’s not just about hunger—it’s about stability, dignity, and the ability to work without fearing for your child’s well-being. As we head into the warmer months, Feed America continues to uplift these stories and advocate for practical, systemic solutions to close the summer hunger gap.
The Cost of Care and the Price of Food
As summer stretches on, working families are forced to walk a financial tightrope. Feeding children at home—without access to subsidized school breakfasts and lunches—can quickly drive up grocery bills. Add to that the rising costs of childcare during summer break, and it becomes clear why many families struggle to keep up.
The Rising Cost of Summer
For many parents, summer represents a perfect storm of increased expenses. Childcare alone can cost upwards of $10,000 per child for the full season, according to research from the Center for American Progress. And while higher-income households may absorb that cost through adjusted work schedules or flexible remote options, lower-income families often don’t have that luxury.
Meanwhile, the price of groceries continues to rise. Inflation has hit essential food items—milk, eggs, fresh produce, bread—particularly hard, disproportionately impacting families living paycheck to paycheck. When parents are already contending with inflated rent and utility bills, adding full-time meals for children becomes a significant burden.
Summer Programs Don’t Reach Everyone
While federal programs such as the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Summer EBT exist to help bridge the gap, they don’t reach everyone who qualifies. The SFSP, for instance, provides free meals to children in low-income areas through community sponsors like schools, churches, and local organizations—but only a fraction of eligible children participate.
Why? Common barriers include:
In fact, while more than 20 million children receive free or reduced-price school lunches during the school year, fewer than 3 million access meals through summer programs.
Working Mothers Bear the Brunt
This crisis hits women—especially single mothers—the hardest. In many cases, mothers are not only the primary caregivers but also the primary or sole earners. Without affordable summer care options, they’re often forced to scale back hours or leave jobs entirely. A Brookings Institution study found that women disproportionately reduce work commitments during summer because of childcare barriers.
This not only limits their income and career growth but increases the risk of food insecurity for the entire household. Summer becomes not just a logistical struggle, but a financial and emotional one, compounding the stress many parents already face.
Bridging the Summer Gap – What Needs to Change
Addressing summer hunger requires more than stopgap solutions—it demands a deeper investment in families, policy, and community infrastructure. Feed America believes that every child deserves a summer free from the stress of hunger, and that working parents shouldn’t have to choose between putting food on the table and keeping their jobs.
Strengthening and Expanding Existing Programs
Federal programs like Summer EBT and the Summer Food Service Program are critical, but underutilized. Their reach can be expanded by:
When these programs are well-publicized and easy to access, participation increases—and so does impact.
Empowering Local, Community-Based Solutions
In addition to federal programs, communities across the country are implementing innovative strategies to fight summer hunger. Some examples include:
Feed America supports these grassroots solutions by supplying resources, spreading awareness, and highlighting models that work. These efforts remind us that big change can begin with small, community-driven actions.
Policy That Protects Families
Real change must also come from policy. Feed America joins with advocates across the country in calling for:
Food security is not just a health issue—it’s an economic one. When parents can work without fearing for their child’s basic needs, communities become stronger and more resilient.
Closing Thoughts
At Feed America, we believe that hunger during summer break is a solvable crisis. By supporting families with practical tools, promoting access to resources, and advocating for better systems, we aim to transform the summer experience for children across the country. Because feeding America means standing beside working parents—not just in the school year, but every season of the year.
