After Colorado voters approved a measure to provide free meals to all public school students regardless of their ability to pay last year, 41 community-based groups across the state are working to support and promote the new program in hard-to-reach communities.

Rachel Landis, executive director of the Good Food Collective, which serves the state's Four Corners region, said school meals are one of the primary sources of calories and nutrition for a large portion of students.

"By investing in healthier school meals -- and then universal access to those -- we are ensuring that students are able to access the nutrition that allows them to learn, and to succeed," Landis contended. "And ultimately live up to their full potential as Colorado residents."

The Colorado Access Foundation and The Colorado Health Foundation have committed a combined $1.5 million dollars to promote the benefits of the state's new Healthy School Meals for All initiative. Families no longer have to enroll for free meals but groups are helping parents complete benefits applications which can help schools get additional funds. And they are encouraging parents to join local advisory boards to help shape their kids' school menus.

The new program is also expected to be a boost for Colorado's independent farmers.

Justice Onwordi, impact director for Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger, said beginning next year, schools that choose to opt in will be able to tap into ten million dollars available to buy nutrient-rich, locally sourced food.

"We're also trying to work with schools to build relationships with local producers, so that when that funding is available, more schools are encouraged to utilize that," Onwordi explained. "So they can provide more scratch cooking in their schools, and ensure they have more fresh food for the students."

Landis pointed out schools are also finding creative ways to dispel the stigma frequently associated with cafeteria food. She pointed to a successful hydroponic farm in a Durango middle school where, as a part of their science curriculum, students get to eat what they grow.

"The high school just picked that up," Landis noted. "And then in neighboring Montezuma county there's a school to farm program. They are training up the next generation of farmers, and some of that food ends up in dining room halls."

Families gathered at the Oregon State Capitol for what they called a "snack-in" last week to call attention to child hunger across Oregon.

Participants handed out snacks while urging lawmakers to pass the Food for All Oregonians bill.

The bill would extend food benefits to all children under the age of six living in the state, including immigrants and refugees.

Rachael Lucille, network communication strategist with Oregon Food Bank, said state lawmakers need to respond to rising hunger and possible cuts to food stamps by the Trump administration.

"Seeing kids at the Capitol building was really powerful to show these are the people that we're advocating for," said Lucille, "and it shouldn't matter where you were born, every child deserves nourishing, familiar food."

Research shows one in six children in Oregon don't have enough food, with visits to the food bank increasing over 30% last year.

Opponents of the bill worry about the added cost, but supporters argue data shows every purchase made with food stamps generates $1.50 for Oregon's economy.

Lucille said many parents across the state are having to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table, and she said she knows first-hand what that feels like.

"And now that I am not in that situation," said Lucille, "I still want to make sure that all of my neighbors and everybody across the state of Oregon is also not having to make those really hard decisions."

Andrea Williams is also with Oregon Food Bank, serving as president.

She said during the pandemic, rates of hunger fell thanks to government supports, and have since increased since the funding stopped. She said feeding the hungry is a policy decision.

"It is a choice that decision-makers, lawmakers can make," said Williams, "whether or not kids should have access to enough food to eat."

Williams said the fate of the Food for All Oregonians bill hinges on an upcoming Ways and Means Committee decision.

Congressional Republicans are poised to move forward with a proposal that would bring major cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

In Minnesota, groups aligned with farmers warn that the economic pain would run deep. SNAP benefits cover certain grocery costs for low-income Americans, and the program could be swept up in $230 billion worth of funding cuts over the next decade, if the plan passes. One provision calls on states to pick up some of the funding even though many Legislatures would face difficulties in finding the money.

Sophia Lenarz-Coy, executive director with The Food Group in Minnesota, said beyond recipients, local economies would be disrupted, too.

"Certainly, folks are going to farmers' markets to use their SNAP [benefits], so that's gonna be an impact to farmers' bottom lines," she explained.

She said it's also likely local grocery stores will see reduced activity, especially in rural areas, where program participation is higher. A coalition opposed to the plan says every dollar in SNAP benefits generates about $1.50 in local economic activity.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture argues the Trump administration is trying to "right-size" the program. But even some House Republicans express worry.

Farmers markets began accepting SNAP benefits around 20 years ago. Willa Sheikh, acting director of the Farmers Market Coalition, said nationally, numbers show how much of a force this option has become.

"Just using data from 2023, we know that SNAP users made over 1.7 million purchases at farmer's markets," Sheikh said. "That's a contribution of over $42 million into local economies."

Last year's total contribution level tapered off from the previous year, but it's still triple what was seen prior to the pandemic. Sheikh said vendors who are beginning or historically marginalized farmers rely heavily on SNAP customers. She noted that transportation and packaging companies could suffer if fewer products are moved.

The budget blueprint is part of larger discussions about ways to offset tax-cut extensions prioritized by the White House.

As the national debate intensifies over cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance benefits and school meal funding, Missouri food system leaders are stepping up to help underserved communities thrive.

Birthed out of the 2014 Ferguson uprising over the shooting death of Mike Brown, the nonprofit group A Red Circle tackles racial and economic disparities in North St. Louis County through food, education, wellness and the arts.

Erica Williams, founder of A Red Circle and co-author of a policy report addressing the issue, explained with limited access to affordable, healthy food being one of the area's biggest challenges, community leaders stepped up to help where national systems failed.

"We reached out to some other grocery stores and they told us that we were not their demographic, they would not bring a store into our region, and so we said we're going to open our own store," Williams recounted. "The idea of a 'People's Harvest' came from us and the community, to open a grocery store."

The "People's Harvest" store opens this summer. Right now, through "A Red Circle's Farm House," community members can receive free bags of fresh fruits, veggies and eggs. Cooking and gardening classes are available, as well as weekly programs under Good Food Fridays.

North St. Louis County faces stark disparities, with poverty rates topping 20% in some areas. Williams stressed the importance of making sure people are educated about the issues and the solutions.

"The medical community is beginning to understand the link between healthy food and nutrition," Williams observed. "Not just treating things with medicine and prescriptions, but also prescribing fruits and vegetables. So that's one of the gaps we really need to close: the education piece."

Williams added she plans to raise public awareness this year, meet one-on-one with lawmakers during the off-season, involve stakeholders and advocacy groups and lobby for related legislation in 2026.


get more stories like this via email