Fueling Futures: How schools are helping end student hunger

(Family Features)In today’s America, 1 in 5 children faces hunger or food insecurity – a reality reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). For Black, Indigenous and Hispanic youth, these numbers are even higher. With rising poverty and deepening income inequality, the number of children living in food-insecure households has increased by 45% since 2021. One powerful solution to youth food insecurity begins in the nation’s schools. Nearly 30 million students – more than 60% of all schoolchildren – rely on school meals for all or part of their daily nourishment, according to the USDA. For many, these meals are the only reliable source of nutrition they receive each day. Explore these “ABC’s” of how school meals and the dedicated professionals behind them are key to ensuring nutrition equity and food justice for all children. A. School meals are healthier than many realize. According to a survey by national nonprofit GENYOUth, nearly half of Americans are unaware children receive their healthiest meals at school. A study from Tufts University concluded “schools are now the single healthiest place Americans are eating,” by offering healthy nutrition including milk and dairy, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. “As school meals lay a foundation for children to develop strong minds and bodies, we are committed to scaling proven solutions to ensure every child is well-nourished and ready to learn,” said GENYOUth CEO Ann Marie Krautheim, MA, RD, LD. B. School breakfast fuels academic success. Research shows students are more likely to skip breakfast than any other meal, but those who eat breakfast are setting themselves up for academic success. Students who start their days with nutritious breakfasts are more likely to score higher on standardized tests, improve concentration and memory, and maintain better attendance. On the flip side, kids who skip breakfast are not only missing out on these benefits – they’re also less likely to eat healthy in general. C. Innovative school-meal equipment boosts breakfast participation. Cutting-edge school meal equipment and models, such as grab-and-go mobile meal carts, breakfast in the classroom and second chance breakfast, are breaking down barriers of time and stigma, leading to up to a 58% increase in average daily school meal participation. Additionally, smoothie programs are making school breakfast more appealing, offering students delicious, drinkable combinations of milk, yogurt and fruit. Now in its second decade of service, GENYOUth has increased access to 11.8 billion nutritious school meals nationwide. “No child living in one of the world’s most food secure nations should go hungry or without access to affordable, health-promoting foods,” said Barb O’Brien, chair of GENYOUth’s board of directors and president and CEO of Dairy Management Inc. “Dairy farmers and the broader U.S. dairy community’s decades-long commitment to support child nutrition programs, including schools, helps to ensure equitable access to nutritious foods like dairy that help children thrive and that support a positive food future for all.” To help make sure the only hunger a child feels is the hunger to learn, visit GENYOUthnow.org and discover how you can make a difference.