Long Island Cares, Inc. applauds Governor Cuomo for including funding for the No Student Goes Hungry initiative in his 2018 Executive Budget. Children that struggle with food insecurity and hunger deserve to have access to healthy and nutritious meals both in and after school and this additional funding will address their needs. Having access to healthy meals provides children with opportunities to succeed in school and socially with their friends. Governor Cuomo has consistently supported efforts to feed the hungry across New York State, and certainly on Long Island, through his support of our work as the regional food bank for Long Island.
The No Student Goes Hungry program will:
- Provide support for Breakfast After the Bell programs in high-poverty schools – schools in which 70 percent or
more of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals – to make breakfast more accessible by
offering breakfast after the start of the school day. Research shows breakfast offered before the official start of the school day has low participation due to tight schedules and social stigma. Instead, schools are starting to offer breakfast after school begins to encourage participation and ensure students are fed and focused. Read more about it here. - Establish consistent statewide policy to address unpaid school lunch debt ensuring children without money for
a meal are not singled out, provided a lesser meal, or otherwise treated differently. - Expand the Farm to School Program and incentivize the use of farm-fresh, locally grown foods in schools.
Learn more about #NoStudentGoesHungry here: https://bit.ly/2GQVEsB