75 years ago, President Truman signed the National School Lunch Act, forming the National School Lunch Program, which—in turn—paved the way for the creation of other programs like school breakfast, after school meals, summer meals, and more. School nutrition programs play a massive role supporting kids through school meals, pantries, and much more.
Across the country, 30 million students participate in the school lunch program, including nearly 386,000 kids in South Carolina. Last year, over 58 million healthy and nourishing school lunches were provided to kids across the state. Yet, this year, school nutrition professionals are facing an immense set of challenges, including supply chain disruptions and labor shortages, as the pandemic continues.
Despite these obstacles, school nutrition workers continue to collaborate with principals, teachers and other school staff to get kids the food they need, providing critical support in this ever-changing school year.
This National School Lunch Week, we recognize those leaders who are behind the scenes, making decisions to help staff and students stay safe, healthy and nourished.You help guarantee kids are healthy and ready to learn, and provide a constant in these challenging times. Feeding kids today is one of the smartest investments we can make to ensure they’re ready to face the challenges of tomorrow.