By Meg Stanley, Executive Director at Wholespire
In 1946, President Truman started the school lunch program as a response to claims that American men had been rejected for World War II military service because of diet-related health problems. The federally assisted meal program was established as “a measure of national security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation’s children and to encourage the domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodities.”
If a family had an income at 130% of the Federal Poverty Level or less, their child would be eligible for a free lunch. The program evolved, and in 2010 Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) was added. If 40% or more kids in a school or district are directly certified for free lunch based on assistance programs, then the entire school or district is eligible to participate, and federal reimbursement is offered according to a percentage of participation. But, sadly, not all eligible schools or districts choose to participate due to various reasons.
The health and well-being of the nation’s children, more specifically South Carolina’s children, continues to be a major concern being addressed by numerous state agencies, non-profit organizations, elected officials, municipalities, county governments and community coalitions. At Wholespire, it’s our mission to provide communities with proven and sustainable approaches that increase access to healthy choices for all people, because we’re only as healthy as the choices we have.
As a statewide nonprofit, we help stakeholders identify policy and environmental changes that make healthy choices practical and available to all community members. We know that, by changing policies and shaping physical landscapes, a significant impact can be made, giving everyone improved access to nutritious foods and safe places to play or exercise. These changes, along with government-funded programs like the school lunch program can have an overwhelmingly positive effect on the health and well-being of our children.
In the last decade, Wholespire has received funding from organizations across the country to create and implement advocacy campaigns to identify healthy eating and active living priorities. During this time, we have focused on Healthy Food Access, Healthy Snacks/Competitive Foods, Farm to School, Complete Streets, Healthy Students Act, Healthy Out of School Time, Healthy Foods in Public Places, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Incentives known as Healthy Bucks in our state, and most recently policies supporting school meals programs.
Obesity and Food Insecurity in South Carolina
Obesity and food insecurity are complex and serious issues that children face. Obesity is a costly public health issue that affects two out of three adults and one out of three children in our state. It is linked to chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. The main risk factors for obesity and other chronic conditions include poor nutrition and lack of physical activity.
Food insecurity refers to a lack of consistent access to enough nutritious food for an active, healthy life. It includes both inadequate quantity and quality of food. Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of food insecurity. Lack of proper nutrition can impact their physical growth, cognitive development, and overall health. It can also hinder their ability to focus and perform well in school.
According to the South Carolina Department of Education, nearly 61% of our state’s public school students live in poverty. Over 40,000 students fall into the space where their family does not qualify for free school meals, yet they are reporting being food insecure. The latest SC FitnessGram data shows that students achieving a healthy weight has suffered a steady decline during COVID-19 years with over 40% of students not meeting healthy weight and over 50% of South Carolina’s public school students not meeting standards for heart and lung health. The data reveals children living in poverty are less likely to achieve healthy weight or reach healthy fitness zones.
Childhood hunger should be a non-issue, but it’s too real for one too many children. Addressing child hunger requires a collaborative approach to reach more children in need. At Wholespire, we’re dedicated to collaborative approaches to increase access to healthy eating and active living for all people. As such, we are partnering with Healthy Palmetto , the state coalition of organizations that collectively address healthy eating, active living, and healthy weight for the Live Healthy SC State Health Improvement Plan. The collective is promoting increasing enrollment of eligible seniors in SNAP and increasing enrollment of eligible women and children in Women’s, Infants, & Children (WIC), both which are evidence-based strategies to reduce obesity and address hunger.
Advocating for State-Level Policy Change
Reaching more children in need also takes the commitment of our state legislators to support policies that aim to alleviate food insecurity and improve the well-being of children in the state. At Wholespire, we advocate for health in all policies to ensure that all South Carolinians have access to nutritious food and physical activity.
Advocating for state-level policy change requires patience and perseverance. In 2022, we advocated for, and the General Assembly passed, a bill prohibiting school districts from using debt collection agencies to collect meal debt and tack on additional fees or interest creating larger debt for families.
Earlier this year, we were grateful, and still are, for the passage of Proviso 1.68 in this year’s state budget requiring eligible districts to increase access to free school meals. So, those eligible schools and districts mentioned earlier now must participate in the CEP program. The Proviso also includes termination of lunch shaming and providing enough time for students to eat their lunch. The short-term response has resulted in 175,000 more children being fed this school year but there are an additional 100,000 that are not.
We can help to reduce food insecurity and the number of chronic diseases in our youth related to obesity by implementing evidence-based strategies such as Universal Free School Meals. Wholespire is dedicated to supporting S. 148, a bill to provide free school meals to public school children introduced and championed by Sen. Katrina Shealy. The Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children identified the bill as a priority in this year’s annual report citing the struggles families faced as the federal pandemic relief program providing all public school children meals for two years ended.
By providing free meals to all students, schools can ensure that children receive balanced and nutritious meals that contribute to their overall health and well-being. This can have long-term positive effects on students’ physical and cognitive development. Additional benefits of participating in federally reimbursable meal programs include:
- When school meals are perceived as “welfare food,” or “poor kids’ meals,” some students in need decline to participate, preferring to go hungry. Removing the stigma derived from the income-based classification of students allows school lunchrooms to become the hospitable places that they are intended to be.
- School meals are designed to meet nutrition standards and promote healthy eating. A school in which all students are invited to the table can improve student health outcomes through healthy meals.
- Students who eat do better than students who miss meals. It is understandable that academic performance would be inhibited if students are hungry. A meal can make a huge difference in the academic trajectory of students.
- Universal School Meals contributes to more efficient administration of meals by eliminating inaccuracies in application and certification that have resulted in some eligible children being denied free or reduced-price meals, and it encourages participation.
- Reports indicate that as participation in free school meals increases, the unit cost of producing each meal goes down. By removing barriers to participation and eliminating unpaid meal debt, healthy school meals for all will increase the resources available for food and labor, resulting in better, fresher, more appealing food — and thus further increasing participation.
The benefits of providing free school meals to all public school children outweigh the costs associated. Taking advantage of the federal reimbursements provided when implementing programs like the Community Eligibility Program, the state and districts can provide an environment free of hungry children ready to learn.
Wholespire is a statewide nonprofit organization that works to provide access to nutritious food and physical activity across South Carolina.
