Food Assistance Through the School System: Evaluation of the Food for Kids Program

Numerous public and private initiatives in the United States work to mitigate food insecurity and its unwelcome repercussions for children’s health and well-being.  An increasingly popular program seeks to reduce hunger among school-aged children by distributing ready-to-eat food in backpacks for participating students to take home for evening and weekend meals.  This study assesses the impact of food assistance in backpacks on school-level indicators of student behavior and academic performance.  Sample statistics from unique surveys made available by the Arkansas Rice Depot, the faith-based food bank that originated the Food for Kids backpack program, demonstrate improvements in participating students’ self-esteem and behavior at school.  Further evidence from generalized least squares estimations using school report card data indicate a positive and significant program impact on eighth grade standardized test scores in math and literacy.