{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://clarke.house.gov/rep-clarke-introduces-bipartisan-bill-to-help-summer-camps-keep-pace-with-soaring-food-costs-continue-feeding-hungry-kids/", "REP. CLARKE INTRODUCES BIPARTISAN BILL TO HELP SUMMER CAMPS KEEP PACE WITH SOARING FOOD COSTS & CONTINUE FEEDING HUNGRY KIDS", "2023-12-21", "2023", "2023-12", "Democrat", "House", "NY", "Yvette D. Clarke", "C001067", "clarke.house.gov", "clarke", "https://clarke.house.gov/category/press-release/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nDecember 21, 2023\n\nMEDIA CONTACT:\n\ne: brian.phillips@mail.house.gov\n\nc: 202.913.0126\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 Today, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and Congressman Marc Molinaro (NY-19) announced the introduction of the Summer Nutrition Parity Act, a bipartisan bill that will help local summer meal providers keep up with inflation and continue serving meals to children.\n\nThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) donates food to be served to kids in-need through both the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). SFSP is designed to fill the nutrition gap that kids face when school is not in session by serving nutritious meals in low-income areas. Eligible SFSP sites include camps, community organizations, and local school districts. However, school lunches receive nearly 40 cents worth of USDA products per meal through the NSLP, while summer meal sites only receive 1.5 cents through the SFSP because this program\u2019s rate has not been adjusted for inflation in decades.\n\nThis legislation provides parity to summer camps by indexing the value of the commodities they receive through the SFSP to inflation \u2013 making it equal to the formula that determines the value for school lunches.\n\n\u201cChildren are our future. And investing in a child\u2019s health and nutrition is a foundational driver for improving prosperity and economic success. I\u2019m proud to join my colleague, Congressman Molinaro, on this common-sense, bipartisan legislation that seeks to support our children by focusing on one of the most important factors \u2014 their health,\u201d said Rep. Clarke.\n\n\u201cWe see inflation every time we go to the grocery store. So, it makes sense this same inflationary pressure is pressing down on summer meal sites and threatening their ability to continue feeding kids in-need. My bipartisan bill makes a simple fix to index the donations they receive from the federal government to inflation, so they can continue fighting hunger and caring for kids,\u201d said Rep. Molinaro.\n\n\u201cI wholeheartedly endorse the Summer Nutrition Parity Act. This critical bill will ensure that our children receive nutritious meals throughout the summer, bridging a vital gap in their dietary needs. It\u2019s a significant step towards combating child hunger and reinforces our community\u2019s commitment to the health and well-being of our youth,\u201d said Manny Steinberg, Planning Board Member of the Town of Liberty.\n\n\u201cAt the YMCA, we believe summer programs can be transformational, and we know nutritious meals and snacks are a key ingredient of any successful summer program. Hunger doesn\u2019t take a break during the summer, so we\u2019re pleased to see Representatives Molinaro and Clarke introduce this legislation to help federally supported programs keep pace with rising food costs and ensure parity between summer nutrition and other child nutrition programs,\u201d said Suzanne McCormick, President and CEO of YMCA of the USA.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://clarke.house.gov/rep-clarke-introduces-bipartisan-bill-to-help-summer-camps-keep-pace-with-soaring-food-costs-continue-feeding-hungry-kids/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9419713169336319, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}