Learn About Healthy School Meals For All

The 2023 New Mexico legislative session kicked off on Jan. 17, and we're already tracking numerous bills that affect our advocates, as well as preparing for residents to attend a Day of Action on Feb. 8 to talk to their legislators.

Click here to learn more about our Day of Action at the Capitol on Feb. 8. We'll gather with other organizations to learn how to speak with legislators, participate in a press conference, then talk to our representatives. Breakfast and lunch will be included. 

One of our top priorities, Senate Bill 4: Healthy School Meals for All, is already in the Senate Education Committee for a hearing. 

Our children shouldn’t have to worry about the cost of lunch or skip a meal because their family can’t afford it. Together, we can make sure all of New Mexico’s public school students have access to free, nutritious meals.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham proposed the initiative, which would dedicate $32 million per year and ensure the more than 300,000 New Mexico students have healthy school meals each day.

Many of our students and families are struggling and at risk of falling through the cracks. When students are hungry, they aren’t ready to learn. Students who participate in school meals, particularly those who are experiencing food insecurity, have better health outcomes, have improved test scores, and are better able to concentrate in school. 

Sponsored by Sen. Michael Padilla, SB4 is a permanent solution, so students have a nutritious meal and the food they need to learn. Right now, almost 70,000 New Mexico children don’t have equal access to meals while at school.

This measure will help eliminate the stigma some kids experience through participation in the free and reduced-price school meal program and be a major step in addressing health inequities. School meals are an integral part of the school day and a contributor to student success. It should be no different than textbooks,