My stomach had a clock. And as a grade schooler, every day at about the same time, it began ticking louder. For 22 cents a week, I received a chilled half-pint carton of milk as a mid-morning boost. As “milk time” drew near I’d fidget and my attention drifted from my lessons. Not until the cool beverage coated my insides like some form of liquid comfort was I able to refocus my attention until it was time to walk home for lunch.
According to the USDA’s report, The National School Lunch Program: Background, Trends, and Issues, in 1963, about 16 million children across 68,000 schools received meals through the National School Lunch Program, though the program’s reach varied due to funding limitations and income-based guidelines. By 2023, over 26 million children were relying on school lunch programs to curb hunger and improve focus. For me, something as simple as those mid-morning milk breaks made all the difference in my ability to learn, reminding me of how essential it is for every child to have access to ample nutrition support.
The Lifeline That is School Nutrition Programs
Decades later, when I and my two children were thrust into deep poverty, our decrepit housing situation provided no way to prepare adequate meals. Government-subsidized school nutrition programs ensured my ten-year-old son could eat at school, which helped stretch our limited food resources. In fact, the meals he received there were often more nutritious than what I could provide at home because our kitchen lacked a stove and refrigerator. For us, school meals weren’t just routine — they were a lifeline.
Food programs at early childhood education centers also made a big difference for my family. While attending community college with the hope of eventually lifting my family out of poverty, my toddler son was enrolled in a subsidized child care facility. Serving as a trusted caretaker, the center provided him with several meals each day, which enabled me to further stretch our limited food resources at home. A well-fed toddler meant he was happy, energized, and able to fully enjoy the care and activities offered. For me, that translated into invaluable peace of mind, in support of my academic studies.
The Biden administration recognized the importance of school nutrition programs, finding innovative ways to keep them running during COVID-19. During spring 2020, when schools closed down for safety, numerous states began employing school bus drivers to distribute free meals at established bus stops. Here in Georgia the federal school meal programs supported by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 distributed over 28.4 million free meals across the state.
This further demonstrates the key role schools play in ensuring child nutrition needs are met. As a parent who once relied on these meals, I can only imagine the assurance it brought to families like ours during such uncertain times.
Federal Programs Contribute to Better Learning
Research confirms that child hunger impacts a student’s concentration level. I was proof of that. As an elementary student, it only took those mid-morning stomach pangs to shift my focus from what was being taught. When “milk time” approached, my attention drifted toward the door. Instead of watching and listening to my teacher, I was waiting for the moment someone would enter, carrying the wire crate of waxy little cartons. I remember the relief of that first sip, the renewed energy afterward, and my attentiveness snapping back, ready to learn again.
In fact, a May 2022 study by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) confirms that hunger not only impacts concentration, but also affects behavior and learning outcomes in the classroom.
Maintaining a robust Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is essential to ensuring families can provide healthy meals for their children.
While my children and I faced hardship, I constantly worried about what would happen if they ever said, “Mommy, I’m hungry,” and I had nothing to offer them. That would have made me feel like some kind of unfit mother. Receiving food assistance proved essential to our very survival.
In 2022, 40 percent of SNAP benefits supported families with children. This important program must not only be preserved and strengthened — it also needs flexibility to respond to rising food costs and the growing prevalence of “shrinkflation,” where products cost the same or more, but contain less.
When natural disasters like hurricanes strike, D-SNAP (Disaster SNAP) provides immediate assistance to families who’ve lost access to food sources. This emergency funding ensures that children and families can still receive meals when other support systems are disrupted, helping stabilize households during times of extreme need.
For example, after the recent Hurricane Helene, the USDA approved D-SNAP for 55 counties in Georgia. This temporary program, available through November 2024, helps people who normally wouldn’t qualify for SNAP, but were hit hard by the storm. It provides funds for groceries to those facing lost income or high disaster expenses. Additionally, current SNAP recipients in affected areas can replace up to 75 percent of their usual benefits if they lost food due to power outages or other hurricane impacts.
My children and I also benefited from WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children). I recall holding those paper vouchers in the grocery checkout line — check-sized slips of white paper that made it possible for me to take home staples like milk, cheese, and cereal for my boys. At a time when every penny counted, any nutritional assistance we could get was a big help.
Universal Free School Meals Would Give All Kids a Chance to Thrive
My gut-wrenching experience as a single mom struggling to feed my family has deepened my understanding of how state-level decisions in funding, eligibility criteria, and program implementation can create unequal access to child nutrition across the country.
For instance, in 2023, Minnesota’s Governor Tim Walz joined seven other states in providing universal free school meals to all public and charter school students, regardless of household income. Meanwhile, here in Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp chose not to participate in the USDA’s 2024 summer EBT program, designed specifically to combat child hunger during non-school months.
Access to free school meals for all students during the early COVID-19 pandemic ended in June 2021 when the USDA waivers expired, returning meal assistance to an income-based system. With the end of universal access, many families lost the broader food support they had relied on during COVID-19 restrictions.
“If the goal is to help children grow up with well-nourished, strong bodies and well-educated minds — and how could it not be — then we need to bring back universal free school meals nationwide,” said Randy Rosso, anti-poverty advocate and food program data expert with Food Data Nerd, LLC.
Organizations in Georgia currently advocating for free school meals include Feeding Georgia, Georgia School Nutrition, Hands On Atlanta, and Happy Helpings.
We Must All Speak Up for Child Nutrition
Looking back, I think about the difference the Child Tax Credit (CTC) could have made for my family during our tough three years eking out a living on welfare. Having even a small, reliable boost to cover essentials like food, clothes, and household necessities would have eased the daily strain we felt. But the CTC was not introduced until 1997 — and like SNAP and other essential programs — that was because of grassroots organizers and parents demanding it.
The CTC is a government benefit designed to help families by providing direct, flexible cash that families can use for whatever they need. They receive this support as a lump-sum tax credit. During the pandemic, they were able to get these as monthly payments — giving them a steady source of funds throughout the year. Especially during this time, this extra income made it possible for families to meet their children’s basic needs, building a stable foundation for their well-being and growth.
Programs like universal free school meals, SNAP, and the Child Tax Credit are essential in ensuring children have access to the food and stability they need to thrive, regardless of their circumstances. However, these programs aren’t available equally across all states, with access varying widely depending on location. You can see what’s in place where you live using this tool. It’s important to stay informed, not only for your own benefit, but to advocate for all families.
There are many ways you can help ensure these essential programs remain available or get expanded for children and families in need. Writing a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper is an easy, yet effective, way to express your support for child nutrition programs. You could also call, email or write your legislator.
Rosso explains, “Your state can make a powerful investment in its young people by passing universal free school meals legislation. Contact your legislators today to let them know this is important to you, and important to all our children.”
Sharing your personal story, like I have here, can be another powerful tool to drive public awareness, motivate action, and influence policy. Personal stories from individuals directly impacted by issues like food insecurity or child nutrition help humanize complex issues and demonstrate the tangible impact of policies on real lives.
Or you could join an advocacy group. Organizations like Feeding America or No Kid Hungry often provide resources, training, and coordinated efforts to advocate for food security programs. By joining, you can help amplify efforts and stay informed about upcoming legislation or advocacy events that need your support.
Recalling how, in my early childhood, glugging down that chilled half-pint of milk quieted my stomach and shifted my focus back to learning, I understand just how instrumental school nutrition programs are for children everywhere. As a former single mom who faced deep poverty, I remain grateful to this day for the dependable food assistance programs that allowed me to adequately feed my two boys. Now, more than ever, it’s crucial that we work to keep programs like SNAP and school meals available, because doing so is an investment in a future where every child has the nutrition they need to flourish, in and beyond the classroom.