A growing number of American families are in financial difficulty right now due to universal free school meals ending in the United States. They are unable to keep up with school lunch payments and yet not able to qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
Many families have applied for a price break now that meals in schools cost money for the first time since the early days of the COVID pandemic, and sky-high prices of other essentials constrict the budgets of parents.
Angie Richey, the nutrition services supervisor of Roseville Area Schools in Minnesota, said that she has cried with many families and that she had to tell one family of six that they were over the limit by $33.
Biden administration wants to make universal school meals permanent
A dozen school nutrition directors told NBC News that they have had to reject applications from a dad who lost his job during the COVID pandemic and has found only part-time work since; a mother of five whose only income comes from disability payments because she has cancer; and a mom whose insulin price rose significantly, among others.
The Biden administration announced a year-long goal of making universal school meals permanent last week but still requires a divided Congress's approval. Advocates for free or reduced-price meals are pushing for immediate action.
The White House strategy begins by expanding access to free meals to 9 million kids by 2032. While anti-hunger experts praised that proposal, they also said that many families could not wait any longer for help.
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Discussions about the cost of lunch now commonplace in school cafeterias
Lori Adkins, the president of the School Nutrition Association, a trade organization representing 50,000 school nutrition employees, said that these changes toward expanding access to all students must happen as soon as possible. She added that some kids are coming to school with no food from home and no money.
Anji Branch, who leads the Idaho School Nutrition Association and is also a child nutrition director at Gooding School District in Idaho, said that discussions about the cost of lunch are now commonplace in school cafeterias.
Branch said she has never had as many students say they can't eat because they don't have money. She added that students still receive their lunch even if they cannot pay. She explained that children should not have to be bothered by that.
High school senior Marshall Troese is one guy who can't afford a school lunch nowadays. He knows his family's budget is tight as their car broke down just before they discovered that school would be charging for meals again. The 17-year-old said that there is a point where he gets used to being hungry.
