I care about the issue of school food. School food is a social justice issue relating to issues of health, social equality, environmental sustainability and education. More than 16 million homes in this country struggle to have enough food to eat. In New York City, approximately 1.2 million children are eligible for the subsidized school lunch program. Many of these students do not eat the school lunches due to the social stigma of receiving school lunch which leads to a cycle of hunger and obesity. These students skip lunch and seek out more socially acceptable and affordable options such as fast food or junk food from vending machines. Children who skip meals have more difficulty concentrating in school. Individuals who skip meals are more likely to overeat the next time food is available. Many of these children live in poverty and in neighborhoods void of adequate resources for fresh fruits and vegetables. The school is where they will most likely meet the majority of their nutritional requirements. Furthermore, for many of these students, the school cafeteria is the only setting for sharing a meal with others. The social and cultural experience of sitting and eating together with others is lost when students are not eating together at school. Most of the school food served to students is not cooked at the school. It is supplied by large food distributors and is often received in a semi frozen state. Mandated amounts of certain foods make the issue of environmental waste a huge problem in the school lunch program. When President Truman signed the School Lunch Act he was concerned with connecting farmers with schools to help local growers and contribute nutritious foods to school aged children. I care about school food reform. I care about meeting the health and social needs of children at school. I care about the environment and the waste generated by the current school food program. I want change in my state.

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