Federal Nutrition Programs

Food Stamps

https://jobs.utah.gov/customereducation/services/foodstamps/index.html
Now known nationally as “SNAP” (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) but temporarily still called by its original name in Utah, Food Stamps initially were instituted to strengthen the agricultural economy and to help improve nutrition among the low-income population.  In 1972, the food stamps allotment became based on the USDA (US Dept. of Agriculture) Thrifty Food Plan, a minimal cost diet based on dietary recommendations, food composition data, food habits, and food price information.  Since then, food stamps have become a crucial component for low-income households to stay afloat. Especially in the last few years as the recession has crippled millions of Americans, eligible households have accessed food stamps in order to stave off hunger and make it through incredibly difficult times.  Click HERE for a short history of Food Stamp on the USDA website.  Click the image to the right to learn how food stamps generate economic activity.  And click HERE to watch a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities video about how food stamps have historically dramatically reduced the extent of severe hunger in our country, how they continue to help Americans in need, and how this essential program can achieve still more.

National School Lunch Program

www.schools.utah.gov/cnp/National-School-Lunch-Program.aspx
The National School Lunch Program (NLSP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free meals to children each school day.

School Breakfast Program

www.schools.utah.gov/cnp/National-School-Breakfast-Program.aspx

The School Breakfast Program (SBP) provides cash assistance to states to operate nonprofit breakfast programs in schools and residential childcare institutions. The program is administered at the Federal level by the Food & Nutrition Service (FNS). State education agencies administer the SBP at the State level, and local school food authorities operate it in schools.

Summer Food

www.schools.utah.gov/cnp/Summer-Food-Service-Program.aspx
Just as learning does not end when school lets out, neither does a child’s need for good nutrition. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides free, nutritious meals and snacks to help children in low-income areas get the nutrition they need to learn, play, and grow, throughout the summer months when they are out of school.

Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

www.schools.utah.gov/cnp/Child-and-Adult-Care-Food-Program.aspx
CACFP plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care for children and elderly adults by making care more affordable for many low-income families. Call 801-538-7680 for information about day care providers offering this in your area.

Elderly Nutrition Program (ENP)

www.hsdaas.utah.gov/ss_nutrition.htm
The ENP, administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging, provides funding for two senior nutrition programs: congregate meals and home-delivered meals. Both of these services are offered to seniors at no cost. The meals must provide recipients with at least one third of their daily recommended dietary allowances, and are cooked to take into account special senior nutrition considerations (such as low-fat, low-sodium diets). In addition to providing meals, ENP volunteers provide nutrition screening, nutrition education, and meal-planning counseling. To find a local ENP, go to www.eldercare.gov to search by zip code or city, or call them toll free at 800-677-1116.

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

health.utah.gov/wic/
WIC provides supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk. To find a local WIC office, visit http://www.health.utah.gov/wic/clinics.php or call toll free 1-877-WIC-KIDS.

Visit the USDA Food & Nutrition Service website for more info about Federal Nutrition Programs.