Cherokee Nation
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The 2010 Agriculture Appropriations Act (PL 111-80) provided grant funding to states and indian tribal organizations (ITOs) to test innovative strategies to end childhood hunger and food insecurity in the summer months. The Summer EBT demonstrations, which began in 2011, were intended to supplement and bolster FNS nutrition assistance during the summer months. Prior research has found that childhood and household food insecurity rises when schools are out of session and school meals are unavailable.
The Act also provided funding for a rigorous evaluation of the newly authorized demonstration projects. The first evaluation studied how the demonstrations unfolded over the period 2011 to 2014 as well as impacts on outcomes such as food security and children’s nutrition.
Subsequent evaluations were conducted as the demonstrations expanded and examined demonstrations operating from 2015 to 2018 and those operating from 2019 to 2022. These evaluations focused on objectives related to program implementation and administration. During the 2019 to 2022 evaluation period, only three indian tribal organizations continued to operate the demonstrations. This evaluation provided highly detailed information on unique operational opportunities and challenges in indian tribal organizations.
The most notable findings from the decade of evaluations include:
The findings from these evaluations play an important role in shaping program operations for the permanent Summer EBT program. Among the strategies USDA has adopted to overcome challenges identified in the evaluations are: