STATEMENT: No Kid Hungry MI on School Meals for All Budget Passage
Washington, DC – On June 28th, the Michigan legislature passed a state budget which will provide no-cost school meals to all Michigan preK-12 public school students, increasing the number of no-cost school meals served by approximately 18 million and saving Michigan families an estimated $850 a year in school meal fees.
The following is a statement from Lisa Davis, senior vice president of Share Our Strength:
“In Michigan, school meals are essential for the 1 in 7 children who may face hunger. The passage of healthy 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 Whitmer, the state legislature, and the Michigan Department of Education for their leadership, elevating Michigan as a national leader in ensuring every student has a healthy breakfast and lunch. Together with our partners in the American Heart Association, School Nutrition Association of Michigan and the Michigan School Meals Coalition we are committed to working on legislation to ensure no-cost school meals will be available on a permanent basis.”
###
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.