Research
Spring 2022
Make Child Nutrition Waivers Permanent: A Crucial Step Toward Feeding More Children
This brief highlights qualitative findings from in-depth interviews with summer meal sponsors regarding the nationwide COVID-19-related waivers. Findings showed that the flexibilities provided by these waivers reduced the administrative burden on sponsors and enabled them to innovate distribution models to better serve children during out-of-school times, such as during the pandemic.
Summer 2021
Lessons Learned: Examining the Impact of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Waivers in Maryland During COVID-19
Beginning in summer 2019, researchers from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health began collaborating with Maryland Hunger Solutions to investigate the impact of national waivers on the implementation of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in Maryland. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this study was expanded to assess the impact of emergency COVID-related waivers on SFSP participation as well as on the administration of the program by SFSP sponsors. It is incredibly opportune that this study includes pre-pandemic, pandemic, and will include post-pandemic data and analysis. This brief highlights preliminary findings from this work.
Summer 2020
Summer Meals Project Map Application
This map looks at Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sites in Maryland in 2020.
Spring 2020
Maryland School Breakfast Report: Creating Healthier Students and Better Learners with the School Breakfast Program
This report examines key findings regarding school breakfast participation rates in Maryland school districts that participated in the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program during the 2018–2019 school year.
Winter 2019
Missed Opportunities: An Analysis of SNAP Participation in Maryland by County
This analysis brief and map analyze SNAP participation across the state of Maryland at the county level.
Fall 2019
School Meal Charge Policies in Maryland: Best Practices for Preventing School Meal Debt
This report looks at meal charge policies in 21 out of Maryland’s 24 school districts for school year 2018–2019, and makes recommendations on best practices for preventing and responding to the issue of school meal debt while considering the impact on children and families.
