Action Alert: Action Alert: Support Universal School Meals
Universal schools meals will ensure that no child goes hungry during the school day. Sadly, with hunger on the rise in Hawaii many families struggling with food insecurity are currently not eligible for free school meals. Access to healthy meals ensures better learning outcomes for students. Please testify in support this important measure to reduce food insecurity for our keiki!
Friday, February 23, 2024 at 1:00 p.m.
Conference Room 308 & Videoconferencee
Written Testimony due Thursday, February 22nd!
Support HB 1775, HD1 - Universal School Meals
What Does This Bill Do?
Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, requires the Department of Education to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students enrolled in department schools.
Why Is This Important? Sample Testimony:
Aloha Chair Yamashita, Vice Chair Kitagawa and Members of the Committee,
I am testifying in strong support of HB 1775, HD1.
HAPA supports HB540 HD1 which, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, requires the department of education and public charter schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all enrolled students.
Nutrition is essential to all growing children and teenagers. It has been shown to vastly improve academic outcomes. However, there are still up to one in four children in Hawaiʻi that regularly go without enough nutritious meals at home. This means that for many children in Hawaiʻi, school breakfast and lunch are the most nutritious meals they get in a day. Being able to feed all students regardless of need at no cost to the students allows for us to remove the stigma of being on "Free/Reduced Lunch" programs, and also removes a huge burden from parents who will no longer have to worry about making sure their children are able to eat while at school.
Please support HB 1775, HD1
Thank you for your consideration,
Your Name, Town
View HAPA’s 2024 Fair & Sustainable Food Systems Policy Agenda
Join us this session in supporting a broad array of bills designed to support local farmers, food producers, increase local food production, address inequities in our food system such as food insecurity, and support regenerative and indigenous farming/food production practices.
See more information below about HAPA’s 2024 FSFS policy agenda below and take action in support of these Fair & Sustainable Food System policy priorities!
New to Legislative Engagement? Learn more about how to engage in the Legislative Session!
Make sure you have set up your account on the Hawaii State Legislature website. If you are new to the process, see this helpful page on legislative engagement 101 from the Public Access Room including a link on how to submit testimony!
About Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action
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The Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA) is deeply committed to championing social, economic, and environmental justice throughout Hawaiʻi. Recognizing the interconnected nature of food systems, we underscore that the challenges plaguing these systems are not isolated from broader social, economic, and environmental concerns. We believe in an integrated approach that addresses these interdependencies to create a just, equitable, and sustainable future for Hawaiʻi.
Contact: info@hapahi.org | (808) 212-9616
