Did you know in New Hampshire, according to nhhungersolutions there are more than 66,000 households with children who do not have enough food!
Did you know NH has the lowest participation in the following Federal Nutrition Programs:
-School meals (free and reduced price) ranked 47th in School Breakfast Participation
-SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) ranked 39th
-SUN Meals (Summer Nutrition Program for kids) ranked 35th
-WIC Women Infants & Children Nutrition Program, serves 54% a little over half who are eligible
As recently as June of this year, 46% of NH children and 45% of adults lived in households who reported not having enough food. Additionally, 32% of older adults in NH reported not having enough food (97,751 adults ages 65+). Nearly 250,000 people are eligible for the SNAP program, but only 77,000 or 31% are currently enrolled.
Let’s focus on school lunches . . .
National School Lunch Program ○ Federally funded meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions
○ Provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or no-cost lunches to kids each school day
School Breakfast Program ○ Federally funded meal program, same as above
○ Provides healthy breakfasts to kids before the school day begins
○ In NH, students who qualify for free or reduced price school lunch receive breakfast for free
Qualifications ○ Kids in homes with incomes up to 130% of the Federal Poverty Level qualify for free school lunches
○ Kids in homes with incomes from 130% to 185% of the Federal Poverty Level qualify for reduced price school lunches
○ In NH, kids in households with incomes up to 185% of the Federal Poverty Level qualify for free school breakfast
HB 1212 was proposed legislation meant to raise the eligibility for free and reduced-price school lunches to 250% of the federal poverty level. Sponsored by a plethora of Democrat Representatives who are bothered by the thought of any child going hungry during the school day because their low-income family can’t afford enough food, this bill was defeated by one vote.
If families qualify, the Medicaid program can also be used to automatically certify kids for free or reduced-price lunches. HB 601 was proposed legislation that would have made all school children who are eligible for Medicaid to automatically become eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Only three Republican legislators voted in support but the bill was defeated by one vote.
After much work to create a children’s summer food assistance program, SB 499 was signed into law last month by outgoing Gov. Sununu. This is a federally assisted meal program providing free, nutritious meals and snacks for kids in low-income homes through the summer months.
NH can do so much better on all issues ranging from school lunches for low-income families to addressing high property taxes to combatting extreme weather and climate change. Curious as to how your legislator votes on some of these important issues? Click here, then go out and vote accordingly!