The impact of the Meals-to-You program on food insecurity

ABSTRACT

Food insecurity among children in the United States remains a serious problem, especially during summer months. While there are summer meal programs such as the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), participation rates are low. In response, in 2019, Meals-to-You (MTY) was piloted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty where food boxes were delivered to households with a focus on rural areas. This was expanded during COVID to an Emergency Meals-to-You component. We find that among participating households, those receiving more boxes had larger declines in food insecurity, especially in more remote rural areas. © 2022 The Authors. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Agricultural & Applied Economics Association.