Survey shows covid-19 impact on rural school meal and food assistance programs - Entrepreneur Generations

A recent survey by the School Nutrition Association shows how the coronavirus pandemic has affected school nutrition programs in different geographic areas and population sizes across the nation. SNA is a nationwide nonprofit organization that includes school and school district workers involved in school meals, state lawmakers who oversee child nutrition programs, and suppliers of food, equipment and software for school cafeterias.

Rural areas made up 569 of the 1,890 school nutrition directors surveyed from April 30 to May 8.

The numbers were similar among geographic types, but rural areas were outliers in a few areas. Of rural districts surveyed, 3.7% said that their local school district had once provided meals or food assistance, but had stopped, the highest rate of all geographic types.

When asked how meals and food assistance were being provided, rural areas had the lowest percentage of meal recipients who walked up to feeding sites or participated in drive-through feeding services. They also had the lowest rates of school districts that partnered with food banks or other organizations to provide meals or food assistance. But rural areas had the highest rates of meals delivered to students' homes or delivered along bus routes.

Though rural areas have higher poverty rates than suburbs near large cities, rural areas were only slightly more likely to have access to school meals or food assistance for at least five days a week.

Rural districts were most likely to report that their program has adequate personal protective equipment, though that's a subjective measurement.

Rural areas were most likely to report that their local district was serving more meals than usual during the pandemic, and least likely to report that their district plans to operate a summer meals program if the USDA waivers for covid-19 school meals program expire on June 30 (which won't happen, since the waivers have been extended). Rural schools were also the least likely to have a reserve fund.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2WSdcLS Survey shows covid-19 impact on rural school meal and food assistance programs - Entrepreneur Generations

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