FNS today awarded $6.7 million in grants during the back to school season to expand and enhance training for school nutrition and child care professionals working to support healthy environments for our nation’s youth. 

USDA today announced the organizations selected to participate in a nationwide pilot designed to improve access to groceries for homebound elderly and disabled persons participating in SNAP. Nearly one in five SNAP participants is either elderly or disabled and therefore may face unique obstacles to obtaining healthy food at the grocery store.

FNS today awarded $5 million in grants to state agencies and community-based organizations to improve the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and implement modernization initiatives. Organizations from seven states were selected for these competitive grants, including Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, California and Washington. 

Today, Secretary Tom Vilsack urged all state health officers to use the resources and opportunities provided through their WIC agencies in their substance misuse prevention efforts. Vilsack made this announcement at a town hall in Missouri to discuss the opioid epidemic, which accounted for more than 28,000 deaths nationwide in 2014.

USDA today awarded $16.8 million in competitive grants to help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants increase their purchases of fruits and vegetables. The funding comes from the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Results of USDA's report posted today on the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children demonstration project confirm a significant reduction in food insecurity among participating families. The project tested two benefit levels – $30 and $60 per month per child – both of which were found to reduce the most severe form of food insecurity and led to positive nutritional outcomes.

Under Secretary Kevin Concannon today announced $26.9 million in grant funds to be distributed among eight grantees to continue administering pilots of the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer programs, providing summertime nutrition assistance to children who receive free and reduced price meals during the school year. In addition to funding existing pilots for summer 2016, these grants will extend benefits to new rural areas, Tribal Nations, and areas of extreme need including Flint, Michigan. 

Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the USDA Rural Child Poverty Nutrition Center at the University of Kentucky awarded $1.3 million in grants to help reduce child food insecurity in 17 rural communities. The funding, ranging from $50,000 to $100,000, will help these rural communities implement creative strategies to improve access to federal nutrition assistance for families and children. Secretary Vilsack made the announcement during a panel discussion on the current state of food and nutrition in America hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that 10 states have been selected to take part in SNAP to Skills, a first-of-its-kind, peer-to-peer effort to help state agencies design improved employment and training programs for adults participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in order to help them find employment and ultimately move off the SNAP program.

Today, on behalf of the White House Rural Council, six federal agencies joined together to announce the selection of 27 communities in 22 states that will participate in Local Foods, Local Places, a federal initiative that helps communities increase economic opportunities for local farmers and related businesses, create vibrant places and promote childhood wellness by improving access to healthy local food.