Minnesota program to provide free school meals for all kids is costing the state more than expected
1 year, 3 months ago

Minnesota program to provide free school meals for all kids is costing the state more than expected

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota’s program to provide free school breakfasts and lunches to all students regardless of income is costing the state more than expected because of a jump in demand. Tim Walz signed the legislation last spring, advocates said the free meals would ease stresses on parents and help reduce childhood poverty while lifting the stigma on kids who rely on them. Thousands of schoolchildren who didn’t previously qualify have been getting the free meals since Minnesota this fall became the country’s fourth state to offer universal free school meals. The governor said budgeting for new programs is always tricky, but he called the free meals “an investment I will defend all day.” GOP state Rep. Kristin Robbins, of Maple Grove, said at the briefing that low-income students who need free meals were already getting them through the federal free and reduced-price lunch program.

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History of this topic

A million children 'face losing free school meals over the next five years' as protections end for parents moving on to universal credit
2 weeks, 3 days ago

A million children 'face losing free school meals over the next five years' as protections end for parents moving on to universal credit

Daily Mail  

A million children face losing free school meals over the next five years as parents on legacy benefits are forced to move on to universal credit, it has been revealed. The newspaper reported that internal Government estimates suggest a million children will be stripped of free school meals by the end of the decade when they go from primary to …

USDA ends program that helped schools serve food from local farmers
Trending News
3 weeks ago

USDA ends program that helped schools serve food from local farmers

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Agriculture Department is ending two pandemic-era programs that provided more than $1 billion for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farmers and producers. In Maine, the money allowed the coastal RSU 23 school district to buy food directly from fisherman, dairy producers and farmers for school meals, said Caroline Trinder, the district’s food …

USDA Cuts More Than $1 Billion Earmarked For Local Food In School Lunches
3 weeks, 1 day ago

USDA Cuts More Than $1 Billion Earmarked For Local Food In School Lunches

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING The U.S. Department of Agriculture has cut more than $1 billion in federal programs that gave schools and food banks funding to purchase food from local farms and ranchers ― a move that school lunch advocates say will take away free meals from millions of children whose parents are grappling with rising grocery prices. via Associated Press …

'Heartless': Trump’s $660 million school food cut is latest GOP attack on nutrition aid
3 weeks, 1 day ago

'Heartless': Trump’s $660 million school food cut is latest GOP attack on nutrition aid

Raw Story  

The Trump administration is cutting over $600 million from a program designed to help schools and child care facilities buy healthy food from local farmers, the GOP’s latest attack on poor families. “State officials were notified Friday of USDA’s decision to end the LFS program for this year.” Coincidentally, last week the U.S. Department of Agriculture celebrated National School Breakfast …

Proposed cuts to SNAP benefits could deepen hunger and hurt local economies, experts warn
3 weeks, 3 days ago

Proposed cuts to SNAP benefits could deepen hunger and hurt local economies, experts warn

Salon  

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has long been a crucial lifeline for millions of Americans facing food insecurity. “Cuts to SNAP would not only increase food insecurity but also shift the burden of food assistance to local governments and charities, which cannot fully meet the need,” the letter read, in part. The proposed cuts would further strain food banks, food …

New York students could get free meals under a plan from Gov. Kathy Hochul
2 months, 3 weeks ago

New York students could get free meals under a plan from Gov. Kathy Hochul

Associated Press  

ALBANY, N.Y. — Every student in New York could get free breakfast and lunch at school under a proposal announced Friday by Gov. Students in New York can already receive free or discounted meals at school through a federal program that is dependent on a family’s income level. Hochul’s proposal would remove any income requirements, expanding free meals to about …

Indonesia's free lunch program to stop malnutrition
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Indonesia's free lunch program to stop malnutrition

ABC  

David Lipson: It's the free lunch with a seven billion dollar price tag and Indonesia's new leader hopes it will help end a pervasive malnutrition problem. Bill Birtles: Across Indonesia 600,000 students are receiving free meals this week a government spokesman Dedek Prayudi says the program will rapidly scale up. But it's a low-key launch President Prabowo says we shouldn't …

T’gana: Panel cites low payment for ‘poor’ mid-day meal
3 months, 2 weeks ago

T’gana: Panel cites low payment for ‘poor’ mid-day meal

Hindustan Times  

Hyderabad The Telangana government, which has substantially enhanced the mess charges being paid to students of residential schools and welfare hostels by 40% since November 1 resulting in improved diet for them, has started taking measures to improve the quality of food being provided to students under the mid-day meal scheme in the state-run schools across the state, officials familiar …

USDA to eliminate school lunch fees for low-income families
4 months, 4 weeks ago

USDA to eliminate school lunch fees for low-income families

LA Times  

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that students eligible for free or reduced price school meals cannot be charged processing fees beginning in 2027. Families that qualify for free or reduced lunch pay as much as 60 cents per dollar in fees when paying for school lunches electronically, according to the report. We will continue to work with Congress to …

School lunch fees are taking a toll on parents, U.S. consumer watchdog finds
6 months, 1 week ago

School lunch fees are taking a toll on parents, U.S. consumer watchdog finds

LA Times  

Single mother Rebecca Wood, 45, was already dealing with high medical bills in 2020 when she noticed she was being charged a $2.49 “program fee” each time she loaded money onto her daughter’s school lunch account. So I’d pay for six lunches, but only get five.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the federal policy on fee-free school lunch, …

US consumer watchdog finds that school lunch fees are taking a toll on parents
6 months, 3 weeks ago

US consumer watchdog finds that school lunch fees are taking a toll on parents

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Single mother Rebecca Wood, 45, was already dealing with high medical bills in 2020 when she noticed she was being charged a $2.49 “program fee” each time she loaded money onto her daughter’s school lunch account. So I’d pay for six lunches, but only get five.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the federal policy on …

Swinney: Westminster to blame for scrapping of free school meal pledge
6 months, 4 weeks ago

Swinney: Westminster to blame for scrapping of free school meal pledge

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Scotland’s First Minister has blamed the previous UK government for …

How School Lunch Became A Symbol Of Tim Walz's Appeal To Voters
7 months, 1 week ago

How School Lunch Became A Symbol Of Tim Walz's Appeal To Voters

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Making school meals free for all students in Minnesota is one of Tim Walz’s signature achievements as governor. A voter survey published Wednesday by the Democratic polling firm Blueprint found free school lunch “is the only one of Walz’s most popular accomplishments surveyed that more than 40% of voters have heard about.” And it’s a major reason …

Free school holiday meals could be pulled for half a million children if council cuts continue, Reeves warned
7 months, 1 week ago

Free school holiday meals could be pulled for half a million children if council cuts continue, Reeves warned

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. A report from charity End Furniture Poverty writes that 22 local authorities say they …

Lib Dems pledge to provide free school meals to all primary school children
10 months ago

Lib Dems pledge to provide free school meals to all primary school children

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Liberal Democrats want to provide free school meals to …

Breakfast and lunch programs in schools are helping families battling the cost of living
10 months ago

Breakfast and lunch programs in schools are helping families battling the cost of living

ABC  

In a warehouse next to Adelaide Airport, four retired men are scurrying like ants. "It sort of introduces you to another world," said former Adelaide Crows football manager and volunteer John Reid. "When I come into the breakfast club all my worries go away because I've got people to talk to," she said. "Everyone right now is struggling with inflation, …

SNAP benefits fall short in 98% of US counties. Republicans still want to gut the program even more
10 months, 1 week ago

SNAP benefits fall short in 98% of US counties. Republicans still want to gut the program even more

Salon  

According to a new analysis conducted by the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C-based think tank specializing in economic and social policy research, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits did not cover the cost of a modestly-priced meal in 98% of United States counties last year. This analysis, which was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, included data from …

Schools dipping into their own budgets to stop children going hungry
10 months, 1 week ago

Schools dipping into their own budgets to stop children going hungry

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Schools are using their own budgets to stop children going …

14 GOP-led states have turned down federal money to feed low-income kids in the summer. Here’s why
1 year, 1 month ago

14 GOP-led states have turned down federal money to feed low-income kids in the summer. Here’s why

Associated Press  

Lower-income families with school-age kids can get help from the federal government paying for groceries this summer, unless they live in one of the 14 states that have said no to joining the program this year. The reasons for the rejections, all from states with Republican governors, include philosophical objections to welfare programs, technical challenges due to aging computer systems …

14 GOP-led states turn down federal money to feed low-income kids in the summer. Here’s why
1 year, 1 month ago

14 GOP-led states turn down federal money to feed low-income kids in the summer. Here’s why

LA Times  

Jim Pillen, joined by state senators at the Capitol, announces the state will participate in a federal program to feed low-income children, reversing his previous opposition. But Food Research and Action Center, an advocacy group targeting hunger, has found that the main federally funded summer nutrition program doesn’t reach most qualified children. of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder said she turned …

100,000 children in poverty in north west England are going hungry in classes as they aren't eligible for free school meals, report claims
1 year, 1 month ago

100,000 children in poverty in north west England are going hungry in classes as they aren't eligible for free school meals, report claims

Daily Mail  

Around 100,000 children living in poverty in north west England are going hungry at school as they are ineligible for free school meals, a report has claimed. Pupils in year three and above are only eligible for the scheme if their household is on universal credit and has an income of below £7,400 per year, before benefits and after tax, …

Families sending children to school without food amid cost-of-living squeeze
1 year, 2 months ago

Families sending children to school without food amid cost-of-living squeeze

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The study, by The Food Foundation and The Bread and Butter Thing, found that …

Column: In their war on children’s health, red states reject federal meal program for low-income families
1 year, 3 months ago

Column: In their war on children’s health, red states reject federal meal program for low-income families

LA Times  

Kim Reynolds says a federal lunch program for children is “unsustainable.” What does that even mean? Kim Reynolds justified her decision to reject the federal subsidy for low-income Iowans: “Federal COVID-era cash benefit programs are not sustainable and don’t provide long-term solutions for the issues impacting children and families.” Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen’s explanation was, “I don’t believe in welfare.” …

Parents like private school vouchers so much that demand is exceeding budgets in some states
1 year, 5 months ago

Parents like private school vouchers so much that demand is exceeding budgets in some states

Associated Press  

In some states, higher-income families can now use taxpayer money to cover private school tuition -- and more people than projected are taking the offer, which might force scrambles to shore up state budgets. It’s especially an issue in states like Arizona and Iowa, where at least some families whose children were already in private school can now take advantage …

More students gain eligibility for free school meals under expanded US program
1 year, 6 months ago

More students gain eligibility for free school meals under expanded US program

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Millions of additional students in schools serving low-income communities will be eligible to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost under a rule change announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At schools where 25% of families participate in income-based public benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, the federal government now will cover the cost …

More students gain eligibility for free school meals under expanded US program
1 year, 6 months ago

More students gain eligibility for free school meals under expanded US program

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. At schools where 25% of families participate in income-based …

One in four teachers hands out food to children due to welfare concerns – survey
1 year, 7 months ago

One in four teachers hands out food to children due to welfare concerns – survey

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. FareShare, a charity which tackles hunger and food waste, is calling on the Government …

Schoolkids in 8 states can now eat free school meals, advocates urge Congress for nationwide policy
1 year, 7 months ago

Schoolkids in 8 states can now eat free school meals, advocates urge Congress for nationwide policy

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — When classes resume after Labor Day, Amber Lightfeather won’t have to worry about where her children’s next meals will be coming from. Minnesota, New Mexico, Colorado, Vermont, Michigan, and Massachusetts will make school breakfasts and lunches permanently free to all students starting this academic year, regardless of family income, following in the footsteps of California and …

Massachusetts joins a small but growing number of states adopting universal free school meals
1 year, 7 months ago

Massachusetts joins a small but growing number of states adopting universal free school meals

Associated Press  

BOSTON — Massachusetts has joined a small but growing number of states adopting universal free school meals programs. About $172 million in permanent funding is also included in the budget to provide universal school meals for public school students in kindergarten through high school. Healey called the school lunch program “an investment in childhood nutrition that’s also removing a source …

How Pandemic Aid Launched A School Lunch Revolution
1 year, 9 months ago

How Pandemic Aid Launched A School Lunch Revolution

Huff Post  

Students pick up lunch at the Albert D. Lawton Intermediate School in Essex Junction, Vermont, on June 9, 2022. via Associated Press Before he went to Congress, which was before he became Minnesota’s 41st governor, Tim Walz was a high school social studies teacher and football coach in Mankato, Minnesota, a small city in the state’s south, known as the …

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Vermont schools say there should be for kids
2 years ago

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Vermont schools say there should be for kids

NPR  

There's no such thing as a free lunch. toggle caption Ximena Bustillo/NPR "Schools are struggling to get kids certified for free or reduced-price school meals," FitzSimons said. Sponsor Message For the upcoming 2023-2024 school year, a family of four cannot make more than $55,500 a year for reduced-price meals or $39,000 for free meals, according to the federal standards. A …

Free school lunch works — but rightwingers don’t care about outcomes
2 years ago

Free school lunch works — but rightwingers don’t care about outcomes

Raw Story  

“If a child is on the verge of starvation, you must call CPS, not spend hundreds of millions on disproportionately unhealthy lunches, a huge percentage of which are discarded,” conservative pundit Ben Shapiro told California Congressman Ted Lieu on Twitter. There’s a great deal of evidence that free school lunches reduce student hunger and improve children’s health. School lunches have …

Food for thought: Free meals for all New Mexico students
2 years ago

Food for thought: Free meals for all New Mexico students

Firstpost  

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday signed legislation to provide free school meals to all students regardless of family income, as New Mexico and several other states look to fill the gap left by lapsed federal pandemic-era benefit programs and address the strain on family budgets caused by food prices. About 67 per cent — or 309,000 New Mexico students …

Food for thought: Free meals for all New Mexico students
2 years ago

Food for thought: Free meals for all New Mexico students

Associated Press  

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday signed legislation to provide free school meals to all students regardless of family income, as New Mexico and several other states look to fill the gap left by lapsed federal pandemic-era benefit programs and address the strain to family budgets caused by food prices. About 67% — or 309,000 New Mexico …

“Poverty is a policy choice”: Minnesota kids cheer new law guaranteeing free school lunch for all
2 years ago

“Poverty is a policy choice”: Minnesota kids cheer new law guaranteeing free school lunch for all

Salon  

This article originally appeared at Common Dreams. But 1 in 4 food-insecure kids live in households that don't qualify for the federal free and reduced meal program, leading to "mounting school lunch debts in the tens of thousands of dollars," Minnesota Public Radioreported. "As a former teacher, I know that providing free breakfast and lunch for our students is one …

Massachusetts governor seeks to extend free school meals
2 years ago

Massachusetts governor seeks to extend free school meals

Associated Press  

BOSTON — A pilot program in Massachusetts offering universal school meals would be extended through the end of the 2023-2024 school year as part of a supplemental budget proposal filed Friday by Gov. The move comes as states have grappled with the end of a pandemic-era federal aid program that made school meals available for free to all public school …

Republican Steve Drazkowski votes against free school meals and says ‘hunger is relative’
2 years ago

Republican Steve Drazkowski votes against free school meals and says ‘hunger is relative’

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A GOP senator in Minnesota said that he voted against …

Minnesota Senate backs free school meals for all students
2 years ago

Minnesota Senate backs free school meals for all students

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Lunches and breakfasts would be free to Minnesota students regardless of income under a bill that won approval in the state Senate on Tuesday. “Being hungry makes learning almost impossible,” said Democratic Sen. Heather Gustafson, of Vadnais Heights, the lead author, who is also a teacher. “This is a bill that will ensure every student, K …

‘It’s hard to focus': Schools say American kids are hungry
2 years ago

‘It’s hard to focus': Schools say American kids are hungry

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — America’s schools say kids are hungry — just as pandemic-era benefit programs have lapsed. School cafeterias typically don’t turn away a hungry kid, but debts for unpaid school meals have been rising — showing the level of need, and raising questions about how schools will keep feeding everyone, without federal money to do it. The neediest kids are …

'It's hard to focus': Schools say American kids are hungry
2 years ago

'It's hard to focus': Schools say American kids are hungry

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Congress temporarily made school meals free to all American schoolkids, but since …

‘It’s hard to focus’: Schools say American kids are hungry
2 years ago

‘It’s hard to focus’: Schools say American kids are hungry

LA Times  

Students select their meal during lunch break in the cafeteria at V. H. Lassen Academy of Science and Nutrition in Phoenix on Jan. 31. School cafeterias typically don’t turn away a hungry kid, but debts for unpaid school meals have been rising — showing the level of need, and raising questions about how schools will keep feeding everyone, without federal …

Sadiq Khan says children should get free school meals after unveiling £130m London plan
2 years, 1 month ago

Sadiq Khan says children should get free school meals after unveiling £130m London plan

Daily Mail  

Sadiq Khan today unveiled a taxpayer-funded £130million plan to give all London primary schoolchildren free meals - and suggested the scheme should be copied nationwide. Speaking to the BBC this morning Mr Khan sad: 'I am hoping that the lessons from London will show the case unarguably that universal free school meals in primary schools should be a must.' 'Using …

Free school meals for all primary school pupils in London, Sadiq Khan to announce
2 years, 1 month ago

Free school meals for all primary school pupils in London, Sadiq Khan to announce

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The mayor of …

Study hints healthier school lunch can reduce obesity
2 years, 1 month ago

Study hints healthier school lunch can reduce obesity

Associated Press  

A 2010 federal law that boosted nutrition standards for school meals may have begun to help slow the rise in obesity among America’s children — even teenagers who can buy their own snacks, a new study showed. “You have the potential to really impact their excess weight gain over the course of their entire childhood,” said Dr. Aruna Chandran, a …

Inflation bites: How rising food costs affect nutrition and health
2 years, 2 months ago

Inflation bites: How rising food costs affect nutrition and health

Salon  

Food for thought: Rising grocery prices affect food choices and nutrition, and ultimately health, and even the health care system. As health behavior researchers, we believe that many Canadians will undoubtedly feel the additional financial pressure at the checkout line, and many will eat less nutritious and cheaper food options. Research has shown that increased household food insecurity is strongly …

How school lunch is made. It’s more complicated than you think
2 years, 2 months ago

How school lunch is made. It’s more complicated than you think

LA Times  

At precisely 11:35 a.m. on a recent Friday, hundreds of kids with backpacks slung over their shoulders file through the blue and red doors of the Garfield High School lunchroom in East Los Angeles. At Los Angeles’ Garfield High School, students choose their own lunch items from a display case. “It’s constant, but we’re a well-oiled machine,” says the high …

UK cost-of-living woes stir push for more free school meals
2 years, 3 months ago

UK cost-of-living woes stir push for more free school meals

Associated Press  

BIRMINGHAM, England — As the school bell rings, dozens of children begin filing into the canteen at Hillstone Primary School. During the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Food Foundation and soccer star Marcus Rashford persuaded Britain’s government to provide free meals to children in poverty over the school holidays. The Department of Education said the government understands …

UK cost-of-living woes stir push for more free school meals
2 years, 3 months ago

UK cost-of-living woes stir push for more free school meals

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. During the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, …

New Mexico governor wants free lunch for all students K-12
2 years, 3 months ago

New Mexico governor wants free lunch for all students K-12

Associated Press  

SANTA FE, N.M. — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wants New Mexico to help provide school lunches without charge to all K-12 students across the state. Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett confirmed Tuesday that the governor will pursue legislation when lawmakers meet in January 2023 to ensure that every student has access to free and nutritious school meals by covering …

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