The Hawaiʻi State Legislature has approved Senate Bill 1300, which will expand free school meal access to keiki in the ALICE population over the next two school years.
#Meals4AllHI
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ICYMI: “There is life when the opu is full. We need to remember that before we can expect our kids to learn, our teachers to teach, and our schools to do everything they need to do to help secure the brightest future they deserve.” — U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda.
#meals4allHI
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Join us this Saturday, 9:30 am, at McKinley High auditorium for a #UniversalFreeSchoolMeals forum. Hear from lawmakers, teachers, student and other stakeholders about how and why we as a state must ensure no keiki goes hungry at school.
#Meals4AllHI
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“What we are hearing from teachers, students, parents is that this policy is badly needed. Policymakers need to hear the community, and bolster the political will to get this policy passed. Not next year, not two or three years from now. This year.”
#Meals4AllHI
hiappleseed.org/press-releas...
“If we feed everybody, there’s no stigma. It’s just, everybody gets to eat.”
Teacher Sarah Milianta-Laffin will moderate a free, public, community-led forum on #UniversalFreeSchoolMeals, on Sat., March 15 at 10 a.m. at McKinley High School.
#Meals4AllHI
www.kitv.com/news/educato...
Flyer for “Free School Meals for all Community Forum.”
If you’re in Honolulu, please join us Saturday, March 15 at 9:30 AM at McKinley High auditorium for a community forum around #Meals4AllHI.
We’ve invited the DOE, governor’s office and lawmakers to attend and share their vision for the policy.
Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/1238290122...
“Hawaiʻi Appleseed’s ‘Equity on the Menu’ shows a cost estimate of $26 million per year. This would be 1.2 percent of the Hawaiʻi DOE’s overall annual budget, set this year at just over $2 billion.”
#Meals4AllHI
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Flyer for “Free School Meals For All: Community Forum” on Saturday, March 15 from 9:30-11:30 AM at McKinley High School Auditorium in Honolulu. Included logos from event sponsors, Hawai‘i Appleseed, the Hawai‘i State Teachers Association, the Hawai‘i Hunger Action Network, and the Hawai‘i Public Health Institute.
Hawai‘i keiki deserve good food!
Join us for a community-led discussion on Universal Free School Meals. We’ve invited public leaders from the DOE, the state legislature, and the governor’s office to hear more about their vision for offering #Meals4AllHI.
Register: eventbrite.com/e/1238290122...
HB757, introduced by Rep. Scot Matayoshi, would provide #Meals4AllHI public school keiki. 82 percent of voters are in support of this proposal, according to a recent poll by HIPHI and Ward Research.
HB757 has a hearing tomorrow at 2pm.
Submit testimony today!
hiappleseed.org/blog/hawaii-...
ICYMI: local columnist Eric Stinton argues “We shouldn’t pursue social goods because of performance metrics; feeding hungry children should not depend upon their academic performance.”
It’s just the right thing to do! TBS, #Meals4AllHI would improve learning too!
www.civilbeat.org/2025/01/eric...
Research shows that consistent access to nutritious meals improves both academic performance and long-term health. Yet, in 2023, 6% of #Hawaii households with children had one or more children go a whole day without food.
#Meals4AllHI is the solution. Time to act.
hiappleseed.org/blog/hawaii-...
"The BOE committee deferred the proposal for student meals but approved raising the cost of breakfast and lunch for adults, as well as the price for students purchasing a second serving." -source: shorturl.at/Zri7e #freeschoolmeals #meals4allhi #schoolfood
"While state law requires that school meal prices be at least half the cost of producing meals, the department has charged far less for years, citing the food insecurity faced by many families in the state." -source: shorturl.at/Sr3mV #freeschoolmeals #meals4allhi #schoolfood
The BOE just announced they are deferring the agenda item that would have raised school meal fees! This is because of the public pushing back and demanding better from our local and state government. The testimony was overwhelmingly against the proposal!
Next up: #Meals4AllHi ✊
The #Hawaii BOE is meeting soon to decide whether to double prices on school meals. 2/3 struggling local households don’t qualify for free meals due to our highest in the nation #CostOfLiving.
This would be devastating. We must instead invest in #Meals4AllHi.
www.civilbeat.org/2025/01/hawa...
Card describing Universal Free School Meals.
Our food equity team is determined to get #UniversalFreeSchoolMeals implemented in Hawai‘i, and for good reason. Research shows few things will return such large improvements in our keiki’s ability to learn and grow than healthy and consistent nutrition. Follow with the hashtag #Meals4AllHi.
Image calling attention to a BOE proposal to raise the fees for school meals in Hawai‘i.
Image with additional instruction to submit testimony: Select agenda item iv; position: oppose; select “written” unless you can attend the meeting, in which case select both options.
Link to submit testimony in opposition to BOE meeting 1.16.25 agenda item IV, which would raise fees on school meals: bit.ly/4az7nrj
Tell the BOE, now is NOT the time to be raising food costs for Hawai‘i families. Instead, the board should support universal free school meals.
#meals4allhi
Read the report and learn how you can get involved supporting Universal Free School Meals in Hawai‘i this legislative session at: hiappleseed.org/universal-fr...
#Meals4AllHI #FoodSecurity #FoodEquity #FoodPolicy #Antihunger #Hawaii #UniversalFreeSchoolMeals
“A 2024 Hawaiʻi Appleseed report supporting #Meals4AllHI said 46% of the 165,000 students enrolled in HiDOE schools qualify for free or reduced-cost meals, but the application process, meal debt and social stigma stop many students from receiving them.”
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