Fight Child Hunger - Tell Congress Not to Cut School Meals for Kids in Poverty

  • by: Susan V
  • recipient: House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline

As a former teacher and child nutrition specialist, I know how important it is for children to have access to consistent, nuritionally balanced meals. Yet more than 15 million children lack access to consistent nutrition at home.

Right now, the free and reduced school meals program allows schools to give free lunch and breakfast to all students from high-poverty neighborhoods. It's a great program with broad social benefits, but the House Education and Workforce Committee is now considering a proposal that would severely restrict eligibility for community-wide school meals and deny children the nutrition they need to get the most out of school. 

The program's scope has provided "critical benefits" with "lasting positive outcomes" since 2010, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. It does away with needless red tape -- leaving more funds available for food instead of burdening already under-resourced schools with more paperwork -- and also eliminates the stigma associated with free meals.

But, if Rep. Todd Rokita's child nutrition reauthorization bill (H.R. 5003) becomes law, more than 7,000 schools currently benefiting from the simplified meal programs "could have to...return to monitoring eligibility in the lunch line." And over 11,000 schools could lose eligibility altogether.

Living in high-poverty neighborhoods is stressful for all children -- even those whose parents are not low-income. Making school meals available to all children in these areas alleviates some of this stress and improves the lives of children across the community. 

Best of all, CBPP says "educators report that children who eat breakfast at school are more likely to arrive at school on time, behave, and be attentive in class." That means that kids can focus on learning, rather than hunger pains or the social stigma that too often directed at low-income students.

America's low-income children need your voice! Please Sign this petition to tell the House to drop this meal cut proposal like a hot potato.

To House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline and other committee members:


As someone who cares about America's children and addressing childhood hunger, I am writing to ask you to OPPOSE H.R. 5003, legislation by Representative Todd Rokita that would restrict meal eligibility for low-income neighborhoods.


[Your Comments]


As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' report aptly notes, "Growing up in a high-poverty neighborhood can have lasting effects on a child’s growth and development, even if the family itself is not low-income" and "[a]ccess to healthy meals at home and school can help children overcome some of the negative consequences of poverty and food insecurity."

According to CBPP H.R. 5003 would "eliminate the option of community eligibility for thousands of schools serving some of our highest-poverty communities, imposing more paperwork and administrative burdens on under-resourced schools." This alone should be reason enough for your committee to drop H.R. 5003. 

In fact -- with more than 15 million children unable to consistently access the food and nutrition they need at home -- it would be far more appropriate for your committee to focus instead on making school meals free for all students at all schools. 



The committee should consider supporting efforts that are already being implemented in some progressive schools - efforts like the "Edible Schoolyard" program that helps provide nutritious foods to schools and teaches children important survival skills and other curriculum objectives. 


Please OPPOSE H.R. 5003 and instead  consider ways to ensure that school children can access the nutrition they need to succeed at school.


Thanks for your time.


[Your Name]

Sign Petition
Sign Petition
You have JavaScript disabled. Without it, our site might not function properly.

Privacy Policy

By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.

Having problems signing this? Let us know.