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Help us end child hunger in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania currently provides free, no-cost school breakfast to all students. But when it comes to lunch, many students are left to fend for themselves. Why do we provide one meal and not the other? It’s time for universal school meals in Pennsylvania.

A coalition of the School Nutrition Association of Pennsylvania and partners, with the support of Tusk Philanthropies, for universal school meals in Pa.

A coalition of the School Nutrition Association of Pennsylvania and partners, with the support of Tusk Philanthropies, for universal school meals in Pa.

A coalition of the School Nutrition Association of Pennsylvania and partners,

with the support of Tusk Philanthropies, for universal school meals in Pa.

FAQs

1 of 8 eight kids goes hungry every day in Pennsylvania. In rural areas, as many as 1 in 5 kids experience hunger. School meals for all can help.

Resources

Every student, in every school, deserves the same opportunity to grow and thrive. Right now, that’s not the case. Let’s make sure no student ever has to learn what hunger feels like while at school.
 
CLICK HERE to get the resources you need to make no-cost universal school meals a reality in Pennsylvania.

School meals reduce childhood hunger; decrease childhood weight issues and obesity; improve child nutrition and wellness; enhance child development and school readiness; support learning, attendance, and behavior; and contribute to positive mental

health outcomes.

Healthy meals have a profound effect on student health and learning.

Expanding no-cost breakfast to include lunch would support local farmers by enabling them to provide more food to schools and local communities, while giving students greater access to fresh, local food.

School meals are an investment in our economy.

Eight in 10 Pennsylvania voters (77%) support expanding the state’s existing no-cost breakfast to include lunch for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Pennsylvanians of all ages and political persuasions, in all parts of the state, want to connect kids to healthy foods to increase their ability to learn and succeed.

Universal school meals unite nearly everyone in Pa.

All students need good nutrition to learn well, and every student should have access to the same things while at school, whether it is educational opportunities or food. When everyone is welcome, more kids participate in school meals. No-cost meals level the playing field.

Stigma and shame are lessened with no-cost meals.

FAQs

Contact your state lawmakers and urge them to expand no-cost school breakfast to include lunch.

Show your school board’s support by adopting a universal school meals resolution.

Join the hundreds of individuals and groups who have signed the pledge to make meals for all permanent in Pennsylvania.

Take Action

Every student, in every school, deserves the same opportunity to grow and thrive. Right now, that’s not the case. Let’s make sure no student ever has to learn what hunger feels like while at school. Let’s make no-cost universal school meals a reality in Pennsylvania.

Eight in 10 Pennsylvania voters support expanding the state’s existing no-cost breakfast to include lunch for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Support for the initiative is broad-based and bipartisan among those who identify as Republican (73%), Democrat (83%), and Independent or unaffiliated (71%), and posts strong majorities in all key subgroups, including people who voted for Joe Biden (85%) and Donald Trump (72%) in 2020.
 
There isn’t a geographic region without strong majorities of support: Northwest (75%), Southwest (85%), the conservative central Pennsylvania “T” section (81%), Northeast (86%), Southcentral (82%), and Southeast with Philadelphia’s collar counties (81%). The proposal also has widespread support among urban (85%), suburban (81%), and rural (87%) voters.

Resources

Every student, in every school, deserves the same opportunity to grow and thrive. Right now, that’s not the case. Let’s make sure no student ever has to learn what hunger feels like while at school.
 
CLICK HERE to get the resources you need to make no-cost universal school meals a reality in Pennsylvania.
See our full list of partners

Join our coalition! Help us ensure no child ever goes hungry at school.

The Universal School Meals PA coalition is a group of anti-hunger, child nutrition, education, and other organizations that want to streamline and strengthen school nutrition programs and ensure no-cost School Meals for All.

Our Partners

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