By Matthew Feltrop : What is (and particularly what isn’t) on children’s plates in the United States is prime evidence of the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Right before the current health crisis hit, childhood food insecurity affected a staggering 15 million children. Without the consistency of school meals, as well as many households losing income, that number has grown to about 18 million. Widespread childhood nutrition programs have proven essential to increasing both food security and health outcomes for children.

In the summer of 2019, the AAP (The American Academy of Pediatrics) issued its first statement on racism’s impact on child health and how to address it. In the summer of 2020, we have mass protests across our country standing up against the inhumane deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Amuad...