Students for Healthy School Meals for All Montgomery
Montgomery County Council
Since 2020, the USDA has been providing universal free school meals to all public school students in the U.S. as part of pandemic relief. This has made an enormous difference for us students, including in our county, by:
Reducing stigma for those of us participating in school meals programs
Shortening cafeteria lines so we have more time to eat
Guaranteeing us one healthy meal a day
All of this could go away on July 1, 2022, if Montgomery County doesn’t act now. The waivers that have created universal free school meals EXPIRE ON JUNE 30th.
Extend the universal free meals program for all schools in the county, and commit county funding for any school that is not covered by the state or federal government program.
Sponsored by
To:
Montgomery County Council
From:
[Your Name]
Montgomery County Council Members and MCPS BOE, I urge you to ACT NOW for food equity by supporting Healthy School Meals for All in Montgomery County.
10,000 of us will lose access to school meals on July 1, 2022.
Healthy School Meals for All Montgomery allows any student, who wants or needs a school meal, access at no cost to their family. The federal government has waived income eligibility requirements for all students to qualify for free school meals, but these waivers expire soon. Waivers have guaranteed students a healthy breakfast and lunch at school and have reduced the stigma attached to free meals. As Montgomery County recovers from the pandemic, we must ensure that we continue to have access to the most basic necessities for learning.
Healthy School Food Maryland®, working with MCCPTA and the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity & Excellence, asks the Montgomery County Council to allocate funding for MCPS to continue providing free school meals in all MCPS schools to any student who wants or needs one.
The federal government will continue to reimburse schools for meals, BUT schools only get paid back when we actually take the meals. The difference between the federal reimbursement and the cost of the meal is all the county would need to cover. Before the pandemic, participation rates were lower primarily because of cost and stigma. Higher participation rates result in higher overall federal revenue for MCPS.
We CAN do this. We can afford it. By making an investment now, you can provide higher quality food and ensure we get the nutrition that we need.