Advocates push for free school meals for all students statewide

An anti-hunger advocacy organization urged scores of school districts across Long Island to support its campaign to win state funding for a free school-meals program for all children in New York, as was in place during the height of the pandemic.

The earlier program has since ended. But, several advocates said, providing free meals to all schoolchildren would go a long way toward eliminating food insecurity, reducing the stigma of having to apply for a free or reduced school lunch program, and eliminating school lunch debt some students incur. They also said the campaign would reduce school districts' administrative costs.

Information about Hunger Solutions New York's Healthy School Meals for All campaign came during a virtual meeting Tuesday hosted by the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island and the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association. The meeting attracted nearly 90 participants from school districts across the Island, as well as several nonprofit agencies.

"We know that hunger remains a persistent problem for families," said Jessica Pino-Goodspeed, a child nutrition programs specialist with Hunger Solutions New York, an anti-hunger nonprofit that seeks to maximize participation in, and support for, federally funded nutrition assistance programs.

"Recognizing what an issue this was throughout the pandemic and what a critical source school meals are for families, the federal government allowed free meals at schools throughout the pandemic," Pino-Goodspeed said.

But federal funding for it ended in June, she said. Nearly 2,000 schools across New York State "lost the ability to provide free meals to all their students," including 578 schools on Long Island, she added.

Overall, she said, the program's end affected 726,000 schoolchildren statewide, one-third of them on Long Island. She called the school meals expansion an "investment" that would cost the state $187 million to $201 million.

Krista Hesdorfer, also a child nutrition programs specialist with Hunger Solutions, called on school districts to contact Gov. Kathy Hochul and lawmakers to support the program in the upcoming budget. She added that several other states had enacted similar programs.

Rebecca Sanin, president and chief executive of the Health and Welfare Council, a nonprofit umbrella agency assisting 300-plus human service agencies, said "The painful reality is that 1 in 7 children in New York struggle with hunger. Hunger is a form of trauma."

Sanin added that 90% of Long Island schools "will see a direct positive impact from the statewide Healthy School Meals for All" initiative, and "506 schools will be newly able to provide free school meals for all students."

Bob Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association, called it a "priority" for the association to advocate for state funding for the school meals expansion. 

Vecchio, citing the National Center for Educational Statistics, said that "post pandemic," students and schools participating in the federal school lunch program nationwide dropped from 84% to 69%.

He said school officials have reported it was a challenge to get parents to fill out an application for the free and reduced lunch program, with some parents fearing the stigma of being associated with a program for low-income families.

"This [Healthy School Meals for All] initiative takes that issue right off the table. So we know when free meals were a given, so many students took advantage of it," Vecchio said.

By Olivia Winslow

olivia.winslow@newsday.com@newsollie