Summer Meals REACH Act of 2026

This bill would expand the Summer Food Service Program by permanently making all children eligible for free meals and requiring reimbursements for meals served to all children at camps. It proposes to allow all program locations to offer non-congregate meal distribution, such as grab-and-go services, which is currently limited to certain rural areas. Additionally, the bill would broaden the types of eligible service institutions by permanently allowing for both on-site and remote food service monitoring.

This bill affects all children by making them eligible for the Summer Food Service Program regardless of their location's income status. It also impacts eligible service institutions, such as camps and organizations providing meal services, by expanding reimbursement eligibility and allowing for remote food service monitoring. Additionally, the Department of Agriculture is affected as the agency responsible for overseeing the expanded non-congregate and grab-and-go meal distribution services.

• Universal child eligibility for summer meals. The bill permanently expands the Summer Food Service Program by making all children eligible to participate in the program.
• Expansion of non-congregate meal distribution. The legislation allows all program locations to provide grab-and-go or off-site meal services, removing current restrictions that limit non-congregate distribution to specific rural areas.
• Mandatory reimbursements for camp meals. The bill requires that camps and other eligible organizations receive reimbursements for meals served to all participating children.
• Remote food service monitoring. The bill expands the capabilities of eligible service institutions by permanently allowing for both on-site and off-site monitoring of food services.

This bill modifies the Department of Agriculture's Summer Food Service Program by removing current restrictions that limit non-congregate meal distribution to specific rural areas. It further expands existing program authorities by making all children eligible for participation and allowing for remote monitoring of food service institutions.

The bill aims to expand the Summer Food Service Program by making all children eligible for free meals and allowing all service locations to provide non-congregate, grab-and-go meal options. It also seeks to broaden program access by requiring reimbursements for all meals served at camps and permitting remote monitoring of food service institutions.