School Meals for All has been an enormous success in Massachusetts. In October 2022, 80,000 more students ate lunch compared to October 2019 in schools not previously serving universally free meals. Of these students, 30,000 were previously eligible for free meals, but were not participating in 2019. With stigma eliminated from the cafeteria, these students are now eating school lunch.
This proposal represents another year of investment in children’s personal and academic success, ensuring positive school meal experiences, and supporting positive health outcomes for our communities. This also represents support for our schools and the hard-working school nutrition departments who have worked unendingly for the last three years to keep kids fed.
Building on their past support of School Meals for All in the FY23 budget, we encourage the legislature to act swiftly to pass an extension of this program for next school year, providing security and peace of mind to families and school districts.