Project Bread and MA Legislators Host School Meals Press Conference

BRAINTREE, Mass. - Today, Project Bread, the state’s leading anti-hunger organization, and School Meals for All bill sponsors Senator Sal DiDomenico and Representative Andy Vargas hosted state and local officials for a press conference to discuss the benefits of free school meals in improving child nutrition and ending child hunger statewide, highlighting the work of those in schools, like East Middle School in Braintree, providing meals to kids, as well as those in the legislature seeking to advance this program. Attendees saw cafeteria and meal prep for the day’s lunch.

This academic year, Massachusetts is 1 of 5 states continuing to provide free school meals to all students, following the expiration of federal waivers in June. Through the FY23 state budget, $110 million has been allocated to keep children fed during the school day. These meals have proven a vital resource to the 1 in 5 Massachusetts households with children struggling with enough to eat in Massachusetts, disproportionately impacting Black and Latino families. Without state level legislation in place, there is risk barriers to food access will return once annual budget ends on June 30, 2023. Without passage of this bill, the Commonwealth will return to a tiered-pay system that leaves out at least 26 percent of food insecure children.

Currently, over half of the Massachusetts state legislature support School Meals for All legislation and more than 100 anti-hunger partners, health care advocates, school and municipal officials, food systems experts, faith communities, children’s advocates and more have joined the Feed Kids Coalition. Those who support this effort can go to feedkidsma.org and ask their legislators to make School Meals for All a priority.

People experiencing food insecurity should call into Project Bread’s toll-free FoodSource Hotline (1-800-645-8333), which provides confidential assistance to connect with food resources, including SNAP benefits, in 180 languages and for the hearing impaired. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org/get-help.

About Project Bread

Project Bread, the leading statewide anti-hunger nonprofit, connects people and communities in Massachusetts to reliable sources of food while advocating for policies that make food more accessible—so that no one goes hungry. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org.

About the Feed Kids Campaign

Feed Kids, Solve Hunger MA is a statewide legislative campaign aimed at passing School Meals for All legislation in the Commonwealth. Our diverse coalition consists of over 90 anti-hunger partners, health care advocates, school and municipal officials, food systems experts, faith communities, children’s advocates and more.

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