Phew! It’s been a couple of months! Right? While we take a collective breath, let’s recap:

• We all sent our state representatives, senators and Governor messages supporting school meals for all (and you still can, again or for the first time here)
• We pushed for and were successful in getting continued full funding for no-cost school meals (and that was NOT an EASY win! So again, thank you!)
• We testified or sent in testimony to the Children’s Committee on SB 929, An Act Expanding the School Meals Program to Provide School Meals to All Studentswhich is on its way to the Appropriations Committee (Children’s Committee vote tally here)
• We testified or sent in testimony urging funding for school meals in the biennium budget
• And let’s not forget the students from Plainville Community High School who gave epic testimony (you’ll be seeing more of them!)
• We celebrated the return of no-cost school meals for all on March 1^st! (See below)

Keep an eye on this space as we share information such as what is happening with the SNAP hunger cliff, how that affects Connecticut families, what you can do to prepare and how, as an advocate, you can work to curb this steep cliff many individuals are facing. We also want to celebrate and share our wins—our accomplishments in the work we do can only come to life with your support. Look out for a post later this month on how School Meals for All CT advocates worked to ensure CT students would have access to no-cost school meals through this school year, a major win for our learners and their future.

As you continue to gain important knowledge from our page to share with your families, communities and beyond, consider ensuring the success of our page by donating to our work. Any amount not only adds ink to our pens, but also contributes to the continued success of the programs we’ll be writing about. We look forward to the evolution of this page to serve the needs of our clients and hunger advocates looking to learn more. Happy reading!

Watch how excited the kids at Center Elementary School in East Hampton “go bananas” for no-cost school meals and their celebration! It was clear that they were very happy and appreciated that the meals were back. We’ll be sharing a highlight video on our social feed next week, so stay tuned.

And Announcing EHC!’s YouTube channel! Check out Representative Gary Turco’s support for School Meals for All in Connecticut and keep your eyes out for more content.

Don’t forget to subscribe or follow to keep up on everything that’s going on. During this next week the one thing you can do is to repost at least one of our posts. That’s how we build our coalition!

Looking for a little light reading? Check out the Food Research and Action Center’s (FRAC) just published report The Reach of School Breakfast and Lunch During the 2021-2022 School Year.

From the executive summary:

The dramatic growth in participation shows just what is possible when meals are available to all student at no cost, and students are back at school.

And, from the conclusion:   

There have been many lessons learned throughout the pandemic when it comes to connecting families to nutrition, but one stands above the rest: the critical importance of providing healthy school meals to all students. The education and health benefit of participation in school meals are numerous, and more children participate when breakfast and lunched are available to them at no cost.

We’re looking for teachers or nurses who would like to tell us what school meals for all means to them. Please let me know if you fit the bill at lnolan@endhungerct.org. 

About us: End Hunger CT! works statewide to eliminate hunger and promote healthy nutrition through outreach, public education, and advocacy. EHC! offers SNAP assistance, nutrition program promotion, doubles SNAP at farmers’ markets, and more to help CT residents in need. To learn more about our services, click here.

Have any questions? Contact our Communications Coordinator, Kimberly Nguyen, at knguyen@endhungerct.org.