FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | May 14, 2021
Contact: Jessica Ng | jng@mercuryllc.com | 510-508-2836
No Kid Hungry California Applauds Governor Newsom’s Proposed Funding for School Meals, School Nutrition Programs in May Revision
Pasadena, Calif. — In response to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s revised state budget proposal, which includes $150 million in ongoing funding to support universal meal programs and $100 million in one-time funds to support school kitchen infrastructure upgrades and training for school cafeteria staff, No Kid Hungry California State Director Kathy Saile today issued the following statement:
“School meals play an integral role in supporting student success, and school nutrition programs in every corner of the state have done incredible work throughout the pandemic to ensure students stay fed, whether they are learning from home or in the classroom. We applaud Governor Newsom for acknowledging this incredibly important work and providing significant ongoing funding to ensure that every student in the state has access to the meals they need to learn and thrive. Supporting school meal programs and school nutrition workers through increased funding is critical to an equitable recovery, and we look forward to working with the Administration and the Legislature to ensure this funding is approved.”
13 million kids could face hunger this year in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, including nearly 1.5 million here in California. Since the start of this crisis, meal programs managed by school districts and community organizations have been a critical tool to address hunger in California’s communities. To support their efforts to increase food access, No Kid Hungry California has given more than $10.6 million in grants to school districts and nonprofits across the state. Grantees are using funds to purchase essential equipment and supplies and to increase their work capacity as many schools return to in-person learning.