Anti-hunger group urges pupils to eat free school meals

A Long Island anti-hunger group wants to see more low-income students take advantage of free and reduced-price school meals, which will improve nutrition for children while providing more federal money to districts.

The Health & Welfare Council of Long Island estimates that out of 100,000 Nassau and Suffolk students who qualify for free and reduced meals, only 51 percent are eating those school lunches and 24 percent are eating those school breakfasts. Because the federal government provides districts with $2.68 for every free meal served to qualifying students, the council said Long Island schools are missing out on millions of dollars in reimbursements.

Gwen O'Shea, the council's president, said she worries that if poor students aren't accessing free school meals, they're going hungry. She cited a 2009 national survey where 83 percent of elementary and middle school teachers reported seeing hungry children in the classroom at least once a week.

Louise Spangle, of the Cornell University Cooperative Extension in Nassau, said some reasons for low-income families not taking advantage of free or reduced meals include immigrants who fear applying, those who feel stigmatized by accepting free food, and the newly unemployed who are unaware they are eligible for the meals.

On Friday, Spangle was among those attending the council's anti-hunger forum, where one workshop focused on the upcoming reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. President Barack Obama has pledged a $1-billion increase in funding, which would mean a reimbursement increase of 17.5 cents per free meal. However, the Senate version includes only a 6-cent increase.

Kristen Mancinelli of City Harvest, who led the workshop, said she would like to see all students eat for free in school.

"Why on earth are we asking children to pay for food during the school day when we don't ask them to pay for anything else?" she said.