The Story

Together, let's ensure no Connecticut child faces hunger at school. During the pandemic, the impact of no-cost healthy school meals, funded through federal support, was evident: increased school meal participation, higher attendance, improved classroom behavior, negligible school debt, and families navigating daily and economic stressors more easily.

^ Watch elementary students celebrate no-cost school meals for the 2022-2023 school year.

The Problem

As federal relief concluded, families faced the uncertainty of how their children would access meals at school. In response, Connecticut stepped up, funding no-cost school meals for the 2022-2023 school year. The state covered the family cost-share of reduced-price lunches and initiated no-cost school breakfast for all students. But we need a more permanent answer.

The Solution

This #GivingTuesday, let's strive for a lasting solution to address youth hunger. Across the nation, states have taken action, passing legislation to ensure equitable access to food for all students. Connecticut is a part of this movement. The School Meals for All CT campaign successfully advocated to continue funding school meals for all when state funds ran dry last school year. Then, successfully advocated for school breakfast to be available to all students, with the added bonus of funding all kids who were eligible for reduced-price meals to get them at no cost. We did this with you.

Research emphasizes that hungry students struggle to focus, hindering their ability to learn and grow. Our focus should be on every student, every meal, every day for their success.

Every Student

This year, we need your financial help. Our costs are minimal but necessary. We had three tools that led to our success. One was our ability to communicate with the Governor’s office and our legislators through a fabulous email platform to communicate with the Governor and legislators. Two and three were our lobbyists and communications consultant who were critical to our success. These are three things we need your help funding. Any amount will make a difference in ensuring our kids are fed fairly and equitably.

Your generous donation funds our work and advocacy at the Capitol and statewide to get us there.

Our Priorities:

Students will be more successful academically and behaviorally with nutritious meals
Families would have much-needed economic relief
Elevating school meals means greater access to fresh, local food
Stigma and shame will be lessened with no-cost meals
Reduces administrative costs while providing more resources for schools, staff, and Boards of Education

Every Day

⭐️ To learn more about our campaign, visit schoolmealsforallct.org. Be sure to sign-up for alerts and ways to become involved in our work! ⭐️

Every student, every meal, every day

By End Hunger Connecticut!

Every student, every meal, every day

Together, we can make sure no Connecticut child experiences hunger at school.

Team Members