FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 8, 2022
Contact: Adam Keigwin | akeigwin@actumllc.com | (916) 256 – 5758
No Kid Hungry California Issues Statement on Governor Newsom’s State of the State Address
Pasadena, Calif. – In reaction to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s state of the state address, No Kid Hungry California Director Kathy Saile today issued the following statement:
“As we begin to enter the endemic phase of COVID-19 recovery, we must continue to do everything within our collective power to ensure that children facing hunger will be able to access school meal programs. We must keep in mind that these life-line programs have faced and continue to face tremendous strain. As our state transitions into the new normal, school meals will continue to play an important role and we commend Governor Newsom for highlighting the importance of School Meals for All for ensuring kids across California have the nutrition they need to succeed. Access to nutritious meals at school is essential to students’ social, emotional and academic health, and ensuring adequate support for these essential programs will be critical to promoting an equitable recovery.”
Today as many as 1 in 6 kids right here in California could be facing hunger. To support the schools and nonprofits that are distributing meals, No Kid Hungry California has provided more than $13.2 million in grants since the beginning of the pandemic to help ensure all children in California can continue to get the food they need even as they learn at home. Last year, the California State Legislature and Governor Newsom allocated $650 million toward state meals reimbursements for universal meals.
This week, the California State Senate will recognize the immense importance of school nutrition programs by officially declaring March 7–11 as School Breakfast Week. Senate Concurrent Resolution 81, authored by Senator Susan Rubio.
The text of SCR 81 reads as follows:
WHEREAS, “National School Breakfast Week” is observed annually to promote the importance of a nutritious breakfast to pupil health and learning, and to recognize the critical role of the federal School Breakfast Program in meeting the nutritional needs of children across the United States; and
WHEREAS, An estimated one in six children in the state live in food insecure households, meaning that they do not have consistent access to adequate food for an active and healthy life; and
WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened economic hardship among many families in the state, especially within communities of color, with an estimated 1,500,000 children estimated to have faced hunger in 2021; and
WHEREAS, School nutrition programs provided vital meals to pupils and their families during the pandemic through innovative models, such as drive-thru operations and delivery services, as well as to pupils returning to classrooms; and
WHEREAS, Eating school breakfast helps pupils excel academically and supports their ability to learn and perform, such as with better test scores, improved concentration, and fewer class disruptions; and
WHEREAS, School breakfast participation also helps improve pupils’ overall diet, builds healthy and lifelong eating habits, improves food security, and advances child health and well-being; and
WHEREAS, School breakfast will continue to play a critical role in keeping pupils nourished through the 2021–22 school year and beyond; and
WHEREAS, The Legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom recognized the critical need to ensure healthy meals for all California pupils and enacted the Free School Meals for All Act of 2021 so all pupils will have access to free school meals, including breakfast, beginning in the 2022–23 school year; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby proclaims March 7, 2022, to March 11, 2022, inclusive, as School Breakfast Week; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature recognizes the critical role of the federal School Breakfast Program in meeting the nutritional needs of pupils, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature recognizes the invaluable service of school nutrition staff who work tirelessly to administer the federal School Breakfast Program, even amidst unprecedented challenges; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, 1 in 4 kids could face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.
Last Reviewed: March 9, 2022