This school year, New York families face a steep hunger cliff as nationwide waivers allowing free school meals for all students expire, jeopardizing access to school meals for an estimated 726,000 students in nearly 2,000 schools across the state. New York can and must ensure all children in our state have access to healthy school meals at no cost. A diverse coalition of anti-hunger, education, health, agriculture, and equity-focused advocates are urging New York to establish and fund a statewide Healthy School Meals for All program to provide breakfast and lunch at no cost to every student each school day, regardless of income. Providing meals at no cost to all students is a proven strategy to reduce food insecurity, improve mental and physical health, alleviate stigma and administrative barriers to meal access, support local food purchasing, and advance educational, economic, and racial equity. Add Your Support To illustrate the broad support for this critical policy, we are preparing a list of organizations in support of Healthy School Meals for All to share publicly and with key policymakers. Complete this form by COB Tuesday, September 13, 2022 to add your organization as a Healthy School Meals for All supporter. While we will continue to grow this coalition throughout the fall, you must sign on by next week to be included in the list of supporters we are sharing in key policy meetings next month. If your organization cannot be listed publicly, or if you do not represent an organization, you can still complete the form to sign up for email updates and to be kept informed of future advocacy opportunities. Thank you for supporting children’s access to vital school meal programs. Together, we can ensure all New York kids have the nutrition they need to learn and thrive. |
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