Supply chain disruptions have impacted school districts in their efforts to maintain school meal programs.  Funding will be made available through the USDA Commodity Credit Corporation (a bottomless piggy bank) to distribute $1 billion to schools to purchase food for meal programs and $300 million for states to assist schools to acquire food products. The remaining $200 million will be used to purchase local foods using cooperative agreements.

In announcing the initiative, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack stated, “USDA school meal programs have a wide-reaching impact on the health and well-being of our nation’s children.”  He added, “America’s children need access to healthy and nutritious foods and our school nutrition professionals play a huge role in making that happen.”