No Kid Hungry commends Governor Walz for positioning Minnesota as a national leader in ensuring every student is nourished and ready to learn.
Contact: Adrienne Carter, acarter@strength.org
Washington, DC — No Kid Hungry Senior Manager Allison Dela Cuesta issued the following statement commending Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for proposing a $183 million investment to launch a state-wide universal meal program, in addition to funding that will support meal programs that provide nutritious food to Minnesotans, as well as improve access and equity for Tribal and American Indian food programs.
“As Minnesota continues to recover and rebuild from the impacts of the pandemic, school nutrition and anti-hunger programs play an integral role, supporting long-term student success in school and beyond. We applaud Governor Walz for including robust state funding to support universal meal programs, positioning Minnesota as a national leader in ensuring that every student has access to healthy meals. This is a landmark moment for students and families across the state, and we are proud to have stood with such a broad coalition advocating for this important program.
"The Hunger Free Schools Campaign knows that school meals help students get the fuel they need – but the benefits don’t stop there. School meals also lead to better educational outcomes, improved equity and a leveled playing field. We commend them for their work to ensure kids in every corner of Minnesota have access to healthy meals.”
1 in 6 kids in Minnesota could face hunger this year. School meals have been a critical lifeline for kids and their families throughout the state during the pandemic. To support their efforts to increase food access, No Kid Hungry has distributed over $1.5 million in grants to schools, districts and community organizations in Minnesota, helping serve nearly 30 million meals. Grantees have used funds to purchase equipment, hire additional staff, and implement creative solutions to continue to feed students even as new challenges arise.
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, 1 in 6 kids could face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.
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