“In Massachusetts, school nutrition programs play an integral role supporting long-term student success in school and beyond. Extending free meals for all kids through the 2022-2023 school year provides a path forward for families while many are still struggling to recover and also facing higher costs,” said Shore.
Contact: Adrienne Carter, acarter@strength.org
Washington, DC— Share Our Strength’s Founder and Executive Chair Billy Shore issued the following statement commending Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker for signing a budget that will fund free meals for all kids during the 2022-2023 school year.
“In Massachusetts, school nutrition programs play an integral role supporting long-term student success in school and beyond. Extending free meals for all kids through the 2022-2023 school year provides a path forward for families while many are still struggling to recover and also facing higher costs. We applaud Governor Baker for implementing this robust funding, positioning Massachusetts as a national leader in ensuring that every student has access to healthy meals. In addition, we applaud the work done by the Feed Kids Coalition for their work in making this a reality. This is a landmark moment for students and families across the state, and we are proud to have stood with such a broad coalition advocating for this important program.
We know that school meals help students get the fuel they need – but the benefits don’t stop there. School meals also lead to better educational outcomes, healthier kids, improved equity and a leveled playing field. We applaud their work to ensure kids across Massachusetts have access to healthy meals.”
School meals are a critical lifeline for kids and their families throughout the state. Since March of 2020, to support their efforts to increase food access, No Kid Hungry has distributed nearly $2.2 million grants to schools, districts and community organizations in Massachusetts, helping serve over 75 million meals. Grantees have used funds to purchase equipment, hire additional staff, and implement creative solutions to continue to feed students even as new challenges arise.
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, 1 in 6 kids could face hunger this year. 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.