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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | August 26, 2024 03:20 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Robert E. Merski |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Designating the month of September 2024 as Healthy Hunger-Free Kids month. |
| Hunger is a reality for many students. Today, 1 in 8 children live in food insecure homes. Food insecurity impacts people of all ages in many households in rural, urban, and suburban areas of our Commonwealth. In addition to addressing hunger, we are now faced with a multitude of food waste. In a study conducted after the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act went into effect, researchers found many students were taking the required healthier options and throwing them automatically into the trash. In each public school in Pennsylvania, there are students who throw away their lunches, and others who wish they had enough to eat. We have a lot of kids across the state where the best meal they get each day is from school. The “Shared Table” initiative helps alleviate this problem. This initiative assists educators in providing food to kids who need it the most. It allows for the redistribution of unused food, by allowing students to put unwanted food in a specified location. It involves having a place that kids can discretely get food at school or take food home at the end of the day. Before I was in the legislator, I was a teacher for 19 years in both Erie’s public and Catholic schools and I can tell you firsthand from my experience that some students do go hungry. If we have food that’s just being thrown out, it just makes sense that we would give it to kids who are hungry. Therefore, I am introducing this resolution to bring attention to the Shared Table program and the urgent need to end childhood hunger. |
Introduced as HR527
Memo Updated: September 4, 2024 10:39 AM