Colorado Makes History Passing First Ballot Initiative to Provide Free School Meals for Children Statewide
The leading anti-hunger advocacy organization MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger issued the following statement today on the passage of Proposition FF, Healthy School Meals for All. MAZON spearheaded Jewish community efforts as a member of the statewide coalition to support Proposition FF, the first-ever state ballot initiative securing free school meals.
“Today, Colorado voters demonstrated the power of democracy through a historic ballot measure, ensuring that from now on, all children in Colorado public schools will be able to focus not on hunger but on learning. Colorado has sent a powerful message from America’s heartland: every child should have access to free school meals so they can learn during their school day. This is what every child deserves, no matter their financial circumstances,” said MAZON’s President & CEO Abby J. Leibman.
“Beyond Colorado, with federal extensions of universal school lunch programs expiring and inflation deepening food insecurity nationwide, millions of children can no longer rely on the basic right of a nutritious school meal — often their only healthy meal all day. We already know the impact of providing free school lunches — reducing food insecurity, eliminating stigma and ‘lunch shaming,’ and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to learn. At this pivotal moment, we urge states nationwide to follow Colorado’s bold example and make universal free school lunches a reality.”