No Kid Hungry California Announces over $3 Million in Grants to Bolster School Meal Programs Across the State

Announcement comes amidst historic investment in school nutrition in California state budget, as state prepares to implement School Meals for All

Pasadena, Calif. — No Kid Hungry California today announced more than $3.3 million in grants this year to support schools and community organizations across the state providing healthy meals for kids and helping struggling families put food on the table. More than 100 school districts and non-profit organizations from every region of the state are receiving funds that directly support their daily programming, kitchen equipment, and food purchases so they can connect more kids with nutritious food throughout the year.

With the highest inflation in over 40 years, many families are experiencing food insecurity and are looking for ways to consistently put food on the table for their children. At the same time, supply chain disruptions and staffing shortages are making it more challenging for many school meal programs to operate.

“The increasingly high cost of food and fuel is taking a real hit on families that were already struggling to make ends meet. At the same time, it’s become harder and more expensive to operate school meal programs. These new grants will help ensure kids get three healthy meals a day all year round by strengthening school and summer meal programs and connecting families with the resources to provide healthy food for their household,” said No Kid Hungry California Director Kathy Saile. 

The 2022-23 California state budget, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom last week, included a historic investment in the state’s school nutrition system, totaling more than $2 billion in integral programming. This includes $596 million to implement School Meals for All, $600 million for school kitchen equipment and upgrades to school kitchen infrastructure, $611.8 million provided on an ongoing basis for enhanced school meal reimbursements through the state meal program, and $2.4 million for evaluation of the California School Meals for All program.

“This budget reflects a monumental investment in school nutrition,” Saile adds. “We commend Governor Newsom and the legislature for recognizing the importance of universal school meals and continuing to provide the crucial ongoing funding to combat food insecurity so our kids can learn and thrive in the classroom.”

Below is a full list of recipients of No Kid Hungry California’s grants thus far this year: