"We commend Governor Mills, Senator Jackson and Speaker Fecteau for positioning Maine as a national leader in ensuring every student is nourished and ready to learn," said Davis.
Washington, DC — Share Our Strength’s Senior Vice President Lisa Davis issued the following statement commending Maine Governor Janet Mills for signing a supplemental budget that fully funds free school meals for students in Maine. This is consistent with an initiative spearheaded by Senate President Troy Jackson.
“In Maine, school nutrition programs play an integral role supporting long-term student success in school and beyond. We applaud Governor Mills for implementing robust sfunding to support universal meal programs, positioning Maine as a national leader in ensuring that every student has access to healthy meals. In addition, we applaud the work done by Senator Jackson, Speaker Fecteau and partners like Full Plates Full Potential for their work in making this a reality. 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.
We know 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 applaud their work to ensure kids in every corner of Maine have access to healthy meals.”
1 in 5 kids in Maine could face hunger this year. School meals are a critical lifeline for kids and their families throughout the state. To support their efforts to increase food access, No Kid Hungry has distributed nearly $880,000 in grants to schools, districts and community organizations in Maine, helping serve nearly 4 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.