Summer can be tough for kids who rely on school for meals. Officials from the greater New Haven area were in West Haven on Tuesday to promote a program they said would help.
It’s called SUN Meals, and was launched last year by the Biden-Harris administration. School-aged kids can get free meals at libraries, parks, and community centers all summer.
Gary Highsmith is the superintendent of Hamden schools. He said his city has been giving out free meals for years, and it has made a difference.
“Hamden Public Schools and our food service management company have provided over 51,500 summer meals over the last three summers, which averages to about 17,000 meals each summer.”
All students qualify, and no registration or ID is needed. Food distribution sites are listed here.
Many of the speakers on Tuesday morning, who represent different nonprofits and school systems, were concerned about the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” making its way through Congress this week.
Hours after the group spoke about the importance of food assistance programs, U.S. Senate Republicans passed a bill that includes deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, slammed the proposed $300 billion in cuts.
“House and Senate Republicans are ripping food out of the mouths of kids today to pay for tax breaks for their billionaire friends,” DeLauro said.
Connecticut could end up paying an additional $220 million for food stamps, Delauro warned. That’s because states would have to share a higher percentage of the cost of the program with the federal government. Also, new work benefits would make some people ineligible for assistance.
In a White House fact sheet, the Trump administration claimed the cuts to SNAP would ensure the program was only being used temporarily by people who needed it most.
“SNAP enrollment remains high even in a strong economy, including millions of able-bodied adults who could work,” the fact sheet reads. “In fact, almost three-quarters of able-bodied adults without dependents on SNAP have no earned income. The mission of the program has failed.”
