Contact: Johanna Elsemore at jelsemore@strength.org
Annapolis, MD—The Maryland Senate today passed SB 0559, a bill to provide an additional $4.5 million appropriation for the Maryland Meals for Achievement In-Classroom Breakfast Program (MMFA), bringing the program’s total annual funding to $12 million. At the current $7.5 million funding level, there are more than 120 eligible schools that could benefit from MMFA that are left out of the program, and this additional investment will ensure many more schools can participate. The following is a statement from No Kid Hungry Maryland Director Ayesha Holmes:
“School breakfast plays a critical role in fighting childhood hunger, and Maryland Meals for Achievement has a proven track record of ensuring it reaches the students who need it most. Right now, families are being faced with the shockingly high cost of food, fuel and other essentials at the same time that pandemic-era benefits are disappearing, making access to nutritious school meals more important than ever.
“We applaud Senator Guzzone, Senator Zucker and the entire Maryland Senate for this investment to ensure every eligible school can opt into MMFA and provide students with a nutritious morning meal, and we encourage the Maryland House to quickly follow suit.”