Support Healthy School Meals for All
We can all agree that students should have the opportunity to receive a good education without worrying about a growling stomach. When students have access to healthy school meals, they are better prepared for the school day and get the nutrition they need to support their academic success. Research demonstrates that access to healthy school meals improves memory retention, focus, and overall student behavior. Healthy school meals for all will reduce hunger, stigma, and shame; support families working to make ends meet; and produce health and economic benefits for local economies.
Join our fight to provide healthy school meals to all Virginia students. Help keep Virginia’s kids fed for success.
Take a look at the American Heart Association’s Heart Advocacy Day where local staff, volunteers and advocates used their voices to help all Virginia children have access to free school breakfast.
Ways you can get involved
Join as an Individual
Virginia Healthy Schools Meals for All Coalition
Do you believe that access to school meals is an integral part of a child’s education and critical to supporting nutrition security for Virginia’s children?
Join the CoalitionJoin as a Group/Organization
Virginia Healthy Schools Meals for All Coalition
Do you believe that access to school meals is an integral part of a child’s education and critical to supporting nutrition security for Virginia’s children?
Join the Coalition
Do you have a story to share about why healthy schools meals is important?
Share Your StoryStories from around Virginia
Roanoke Area Student
Owen and his mom talk School Meals in this video – check it out!
Charlottesville Community Member
Why do you believe providing healthy school meals for all students is important?
Because it allows these students to come ready to learn. We can’t expect them to perform at high levels in their education if we aren’t making sure that they have their basic needs met. Half of the time these kids don’t even have food at home. So if the school isn’t providing meals, these kids don’t eat. No child should go hungry.
How could Healthy School Meals improve your situation or the situation of people around you?
It can dramatically change the way students show up to the classroom. They might feel more energized and ready to learn if their belly’s are full.
Mother of students who attended Thomas Dale High School
Why do you believe providing healthy school meals for all students is important?
Healthy habits start early. Also, many children with food insecurities at home get most of their nutrition at school. In addition, healthy meals promote better energy and brain function.
How could Healthy School Meals improve your situation or the situation of people around you?
Creating a healthier community and better outcomes at school for students…our future.
Waynesboro Public Schools staff
Why do you believe providing healthy school meals for all students is important?
Healthy school meals for all are as fundamental as textbooks and transportation. When every student can eat, we remove hunger and stigma, improve attendance and behavior, and raise test performance—outcomes consistently linked to school meal participation. Schools serve the healthiest meals most children eat in a day, with required fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and milk, which measurably improves overall diet quality compared with bringing lunch from home. Making meals universal ensures equal access, cuts administrative barriers, eliminates meal debt and overt identification, and stabilizes programs so they can focus on quality, not collections. Put simply: well-nourished students learn better, feel better, and show up ready to succeed—meeting this basic need is a right, not a privilege.
How could Healthy School Meals improve your situation or the situation of people around you?
Healthy School Meals for All would remove daily barriers that I see students and staff struggle with. When every student can eat at no cost, we eliminate stigma and meal debt and free front-line staff from acting as bill collectors so they can focus on welcoming kids and serving quality food. Universally available meals also stabilize participation and revenue, which lets us plan better menus, buy more local foods, and invest in labor and training that improve the dining experience for everyone. Most importantly, well-nourished students arrive in class calmer, more focused, and ready to learn; school meals consistently improve diet quality, attendance, behavior, and test performance compared with not participating in the programs.
Chesapeake Public Schools staff
Have you ever had free school meals?
Yes, I starting eating school meals in 1966 and ate breakfast and lunch each day I attended school until I graduated in 1978. I’ve been working as a school nutrition professional since August of 1983. I’ve was Made With School Lunch(MWSL) and it’s been my life’s work to make school lunch and breakfast for students.
Why do you believe providing healthy school meals for all students is important?
I believe providing healthy meals is important for every student because a hungry student can’t learn. And, school meals are as necessary for student success as textbooks are to learning and bus transportation is to getting students to school each day.
How could Healthy School Meals improve your situation or the situation of people around you?
Healthy School Meals will help to address food insecurity for so many households.
Manassas Parent
Why do you believe providing healthy school meals for all students is important?
Providing healthy school meals for all students is vital because it improves their nutrition and academic performance. These programs also alleviate financial burdens on families, eliminate the stigma associated with free meals, and can boost local economies, making it a comprehensive investment in the community’s well-being.
How could Healthy School Meals improve your situation or the situation of people around you?
Healthy school meals can significantly improve the situation for junior grade military personnel by addressing the high rates of food insecurity often faced by their families. By providing nutritious, low-cost or free meals, these programs help alleviate financial burdens and ensure the well-being of military children, which contributes to the overall readiness and focus of the service member.