Next school year, students across New York will receive free school breakfast and lunch regardless of their family’s income through the Universal School Meals Act approved as part of the state budget.
On Monday, school officials, advocates and legislators gathered at Red Hook’s Mill Road Elementary School to celebrate the momentous program, which includes all school districts, charter schools and nonpublic schools that participate in the national school lunch and breakfast program.
“We applaud Senator Hinchey and New York lawmakers for their advocacy to ensure that all students have access to school meals so they can be ready to learn, play, and be their best selves,” said Rhinebeck Superintendent Albert Cousins, one of the speakers at the gathering.
District 41 State Sen. Michelle Hinchey, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, and District 34 Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, who did the same in the Assembly, spoke, as did District 103 Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha. Both Hinchey and Shrestha represent northern Dutchess County, among other areas. Red Hook Superintendent Dr. Janet Warden, New York State United Teachers President Melinda Person, CEO of Hunger Solutions New York Andres Vives and Executive Director of Community Food Advocates Liz Accles were also among those who were at Red Hook to speak and celebrate the program’s passage.
Hinchey noted, around 80% of schools had already qualified for the free lunch program of last year, but advocates and lawmakers continued pushing to make it a universal right in New York. By being uniform, they said, it removes the stigma some may feel in taking part in the program due to their family’s income level. And, free meals will save the average family $165 per month.
Rhinebeck for two years has offered free breakfast to all its students. Rhinebeck can now opt-in to the statewide program.
Larry Anthony, food services director for Rhinebeck, Red Hook and Pine Plains, pointed out that the existing farm-to-school program, in which the state is encouraging schools to include at least 30% of New York-sourced ingredients in their meals, will mean many of the students receiving free lunches will be eating foods with healthy ingredients. He called the free meals initiative “a basic humanitarian effort.”