USDA Food and Nutrition Service and Rural Development Highlight Efforts Fighting Food Insecurity
SPARKS, Nev., July 16, 2024 – Today, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Nevada (USDA RD-NV) State Director Lucas Ingvoldstad celebrated initiatives from both USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and Rural Development (RD) to combat food insecurity in rural Nevada. Speaking at Burgess Park, State Director Ingvoldstad highlighted FNS’ SUN Programs, three child-centered pieces that address summer hunger while breaking down barriers to healthy meals.
“I’m proud to stand here as an extension of all of USDA to celebrate the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to combatting hunger in Nevada,” said State Director Ingvoldstad. “Children should never go hungry, and as the first new federal hunger program in nearly 50 years, we look forward to seeing the impact SUN Bucks will have on the Silver State. USDA estimates that over 350,000 children in Nevada will receive grocery benefits, with over $42 million coming back to the state. We applaud the Food Bank of Northern Nevada and the Nevada Department of Agriculture for working together with USDA to ensure that hunger has no place in the summer.”
“We applaud Nevada for stepping up as a leader behind our SUN Programs, including implementing Summer EBT in its inaugural year,” said FNS Senior Policy Advisor Alberto Gonzalez Jr. “We at the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service are also excited to be partnering with organizations such as the Food Bank of Northern Nevada on this unprecedented opportunity to dramatically reduce child summer hunger and lower costs for families under our new, expanded suite of SUN Programs.”
SUN Programs support families in three ways:
SUN Meals: In-person group meals and snacks in communities with high rates of poverty for children ages 18 and under.
SUN Meals To-Go: Pick-up and delivered meals in certain rural areas when and where SUN Meals are not available (new in 2023).
SUN Bucks: Families receive $120 per eligible school-aged child to buy groceries during the summer; currently available in many states, the District of Columbia, some tribal nations and U.S. territories (new in 2024).
SUN Programs work together. Families with eligible kids can receive SUN Bucks and their children can enjoy SUN Meals which are provided free of charge. And both are in addition to other food benefits families may already get, like SNAP and WIC.
USDA Rural Development is also committed to fighting food insecurity through initiatives such as the Rural Partners Network (RPN), an all-of-government program including agencies such as USDA Food and Nutrition Service. RPN Staff work with individual communities to identify pressing issues through listening sessions and community meetings, and then facilitate efforts to fund actionable solutions to those problems. Most recently, RPN efforts have supported the creation of a community garden in Searchlight, Nevada, which does not have a grocery store.