Tell Congress: We must extend free school meals to all children

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Tell Congress: We must extend free school meals to all children

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Dear [Decision Maker],

I'm writing to urge you to co-sponsor the Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021 (S. 1530 / H.R. 3115) and include it in the upcoming budget reconciliation package (https://bit.ly/2HxRPuP). Extending universal meals beyond the pandemic will improve child well-being, advance racial justice, and reduce costs and paperwork for schools and communities.

The importance of universal school meals has been underscored by COVID-19. Before the pandemic, nearly 11 million children lived in homes without enough to eat, and Black and Hispanic children were twice as likely as white children to experience hunger. Fifty-eight percent of children without enough to eat were children of color. When the pandemic hit and schools closed, millions of children lost access to healthy meals overnight, and food insecurity among families with children skyrocketed. Congress and the USDA took action to ensure schools and community organizations could temporarily offer meals to all children at no charge, and it is imperative that we maintain universal school meals after the pandemic.

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I urge you to act now and include the Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021 (S. 1530 / H.R. 3115) in the upcoming reconciliation bill to ensure no child loses access to healthy free school meals after the pandemic. We cannot take meals away from our kids.

Thank you for prioritizing and investing in the well-being of our nation's children.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Your Email]