State budget to include funding for free school lunches [Video]

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Lawmakers who passed the state budget earlier this week included funding for free school lunches for students.

The state just passed a state budget bill for the next fiscal year that specifically includes over $171 million to allow public schools to provide free school meals.

Both chambers took quick action on a compromise bill that was released by a six-member House-Senate conference committee. Meals would include breakfast and lunch and would include all of its students. Students have been provided school meals free of charge since the pandemic.

The Feed Kids campaign says between October 2019 and October 2022, over 80,000 additional students ate lunch daily in schools not previously providing universal free meals. These meals are especially critical because they can account for up to half of a student’s daily nutrition and represent one of the healthiest sources of food available to students.

The bill …