Rachael Ray, of Lake Luzerne, is a Food Network star, author, cook and syndicated talk-show host.
The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year. Decorating the house, cozy pajamas, time with friends and family, and of course, great food!
Food is always central for me, especially around the holidays. Things like Thanksgiving turkey, latkes for Hanukkah and my sister’s Christmas cookies are a big part of what makes this time of year so special.
Not much can put a damper on my holiday cheer, but this year, hundreds of thousands of New York students are going to school hungry because we no longer provide free school meals for all students.
Let me explain. Back in 2020, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the federal government started providing free school meals for all students in public schools.
The policy was a huge success. By ensuring all students have access to healthy meals, universal free school meals boosts test scores and improves classroom behavior, while reducing academic achievement gaps and health disparities.
Providing free school meals to all students was especially important for achieving these positive outcomes because it eliminated administrative burdens and social stigmas that hold many students back from participating in free and reduced-price meal programs.
In addition to the benefits for students, providing healthy meals for all kids also helps schools and families. By enabling schools to purchase ingredients in greater bulk, the per-student price of lunches will be brought down, and by providing free meals for all, families will be saved from going into debt to pay for school meals. At a time when we’re all feeling the squeeze from inflation, this policy is a game-changer for families. After all, schools are the only level playing field we have to get nutritious food to all our kids.
Unfortunately, the federal policy ensuring free meals for all expired in June. That meant 726,000 students at 2,000 schools across New York lost access to free school meals this fall.
Students experiencing hunger struggle to focus, have lower attendance than their peers, and are at greater risk of physical and mental health problems. These challenges affect all students and they disproportionately impact Black and Latino kids.
That’s the bad news. Here’s the good news … we can fix this! States across the country, including California, Maine, Colorado, Massachusetts, Vermont and Nevada, have all stepped up to provide state funding to ensure healthy meals for all their students. We can, and must, do that in New York, too!
Most people agree that providing free school meals for all students makes sense. Almost 90 percent of New Yorkers support free school meals for all, and more than 200 education, parent and teacher groups, labor unions, anti-hunger, nutrition, health, and equity advocates have signed on to a campaign calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to fund universal free school meals.
Food brings us together and gives us the fuel we need to live a healthy and productive life. That’s why meals are central to so many of the holidays that make this time of year so special.
This holiday season, let’s give our kids a gift that they’ll use every day: free, healthy meals that will ensure every student has the nutrition they need to achieve their full potential.