Vermont has largest increase in school breakfast program in nation

On an average school day, almost 15,000 low-income Vermont school children eat a free school breakfast, according to the School Breakfast Scorecard 2009, an annual report issued by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). This is a 15.5% increase over the previous school year – the largest percent increase in the nation – and moves Vermont from 9th to 3rd in the nation for participation. This is likely the result of both increased need and a bill passed in 2008 by the Vermont State Legislature that allows all low-income students to access free school breakfast.
Shortly after the USDA reported that 1 in 8 households in Vermont experience hunger, the news of Vermont’s dramatic increase in school breakfast participation is welcome, though somber, news. “This tremendous increase in school breakfast participation among low-income children reinforces that the school breakfast program is more important than ever – especially in this time of recession and economic uncertainty,” says Marissa Parisi, Executive Director of the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger. “More families than ever before are relying on school meals” says Parisi.
School breakfast and lunch are provided at 92% of public schools in Vermont. “We see hungry children every day, who rely on school breakfast,” says Teresa Felix, Dietary Manager at the Vermont Achievement Center and President of Vermont’s School Nutrition Association. However, according to Felix, “School meal programs are struggling. The cost of producing meals is rising faster than federal reimbursements, at the same time that schools are being asked to reduce expenses.” The school meal program is currently being reauthorized in Congress, and the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger is working with Vermont’s Congressional delegation, partner organizations, and communities to ensure increased support and funding for these programs.
For more information on school meals visit http://www.vtnohunger.org/info/school_meal.php
About the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger: The Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger is a statewide nonprofit organization that works with state agencies and community groups to develop sustainable hunger solutions. Since 1993 the Campaign’s outreach programs have substantially enhanced Vermont’s nutrition safety net and increased access to nutritious foods. www.vtnohunger.org
Source: December 7, 2009 (Burlington, VT) Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger