The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Summer Meal Programs (SMPs) are funded to ensure children from households with low incomes continue to have access to food over the summer months when most schools are closed for instruction. However, these programs are underutilized compared with school meal programs, in part due to barriers to accessing SMPs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, USDA waived several restrictions related to area eligibility and meal distribution. The goal of this project was to systematically review the evidence of the association between USDA pandemic waivers and SMPs access and participation. Three electronic databases were searched to identify peer-reviewed and government studies that examined associations between USDA pandemic waivers and changes in the number of SMP sponsors, sites, participants, and/or meals served. Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria. The majority found increases in the number of SMP sites sponsored by public schools after the pandemic waivers. However, some studies found decreases specifically among nonpublic school-sponsored sites. The majority also found increases in the number of children and/or meals served, even in the presence of fewer sites. Evidence suggests that the pandemic waivers were associated with improvements in scope, coverage, and participation in SMPs. Continued support of state agencies to administer SMPs using flexible and innovative strategies should be considered.