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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 20, 2024 01:58 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Emily Kinkead |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | School Meal Debt Elimination |
| No child in this commonwealth should have to go hungry or feel the shame and embarrassment for not being able to afford a school meal. In Pennsylvania, there are roughly half a million children living with food insecurity. They collectively owe approximately $80 million in school meal debt. I am introducing legislation which would not only provide free meals to students in grades K-12, but it would also eliminate the school meal debt. There have been numerous studies that show the effects of having nutritious meals have on education. Students are able to focus on the lessons being taught and are able to better retain that knowledge, compared to students who are hungry. According to the Pennsylvania Cancel Lunch Debt Coalition, eight states have made school lunches free for students – Pennsylvania is not one of them. The federal government does run a free lunch program, but many families make too much annually to qualify and are still unable to afford school lunches every day. Eliminating school lunch debt would allow children in poverty to have access to consistent nutritious meals that they may not otherwise be able to receive at home, improving their future health. Additionally, medical experts have said the costs of absorbing school lunch debts would likely be outweighed by the financial benefits of preventing multiple chronic illnesses these children could face when they reach adulthood. Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation to ensure every student is nourished and ready to learn. |
Introduced as HB2180