STATEMENT: No Kid Hungry MA on School Meals for All Budget Passage
Washington, DC – On August 9th, Governor Maura Healey signed the Massachusetts FY 24 budget which will provide no-cost school meals to all Massachusetts K-12 public school students, including 400,000 students who will continue to receive no-cost school meals at school after the 2023-2024 school year.
The following is a statement from Lisa Davis, senior vice president of Share Our Strength:
“In Massachusetts, school meals are essential for the 1 in 12 children who may face hunger. The passage of school meals for all will help students get the fuel they need, but the benefits don’t stop there. When kids have access to consistent, nutritious food through school meals, they can focus on learning, not their empty stomachs. They’re healthier, better able to focus in the classroom and miss fewer days of school. Every day too many families meet challenges in providing meals for their children, with incomes too high to qualify for free or reduced-price meals but too low to meet basic needs. This is only exacerbated by persistent high food prices. School meals are critical to ensure kids’ nutritional needs are met.
We applaud Governor Healey, the state legislature, and the Feed Kids MA coalition for their dedication and leadership, elevating Massachusetts as a national leader in ensuring every student has a healthy breakfast and lunch.”
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About No Kid Hungry
No Child should go hungry in America. But millions of kids in the United States live with hunger. 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. Join us at nokidhungry.org.