Hi friend,
Eating school lunch in the cafeteria surrounded by classmates is a memory we all have, but it's more than that -- the reality is that many of our children from low-income backgrounds get the majority of their nutrition from school meals. And yet, with the school year in full swing, the nation’s public school meal programs have reached a crisis point as a result of product shortfalls, delivery delays, and labor shortages.
That’s why I introduced the Small Farm to School Act to incentivize partnerships between small farms and local schools. It would create an eight-state pilot program where local public schools would be reimbursed at a higher rate for sourcing school lunches from small farmers under the National School Lunch Program.
Our family farmers are essential to our way of life here in NY-19 and all across upstate New York. The Small Farm to School Act will support our small businesses and farmers while helping our children access more nutritious food.
The Small Farm to School Act would help strengthen our supply chain and ensure students have healthy food from local farmers. Join me by becoming a citizen co-sponsor of the Small Farm to School Act.
We owe our farmers and our children a partnership like this -- and the Small Farm to School Act does exactly that.
As our small farmers continue to grapple with both a challenging farm economy and the COVID-19 pandemic, and while schools continue to acclimate to a safe pandemic school setting, this legislation offers the best of both worlds; it does good for our small farming businesses
and the health of our young people.
Friend, now is the right time to invest in school meals and in resilient local food systems. If you’re with me, become a citizen co-sponsor of the Small Farm to School Act.
Onward and upward,
Antonio
