November 28, 2018

Representative Dina Titus of Nevada’s First Congressional District announced today that she will reintroduce the Weekends Without Hunger Act, legislation to help prevent at-risk children from going hungry when they are not in school. 

“In the Clark County School District, over 62 percent of our school children rely on free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch programs as their main source of food throughout the week. That’s more than 203,000 students who face hunger at home and come to school unprepared to learn,” Congresswoman Titus said. “When they’re not in school, far too many students across the United States go hungry over the summer, on weekends, and on school holidays. This legislation will fill a gap in federal programming to ensure that a vacation from school doesn’t mean hunger for our children.”

“Three Square is extremely fortunate to have the support of Congresswoman Titus who advocates for policy that positively affects hunger relief efforts in Southern Nevada,” said Brian Burton, President and CEO of Three Square Food Bank. “The reintroduction of the Weekends Without Hunger Act will provide children with the food they need most to bridge the hunger gap when they are not in school.”  

The Weekends Without Hunger Act establishes a five-year pilot program that provides commodities to eligible institutions, such as schools and food banks, to carry out projects that offer nutritious food to at-risk school children over the summer, weekends, and school holidays throughout the year. Organizations such as Three Square, which distributed more than 168,000 weekend bags of nutritious food during the 2017-18 school year, would be eligible for the pilot program. To ensure the federal funds are well spent, the bill would require an interim and final evaluation of the program by the Secretary of Agriculture.

The bill is supported by Three Square Food Bank, the American Commodity Distribution Association (ACDA), No Kid Hungry, and Feeding America.

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