The one person who opposed my bill to require eligible schools to participate in the federal Afterschool Meals Program noted this is the 3rd time we've compelled them to participate in a school meals program in two years.

"When will it stop?" he asked.

When we feed every kid.

History:
In 2018, we passed Del. @HopeforVirginia's HB 50 to prevent certain types of school meal shaming.

In 2019, we passed my bill HB 2400 to make it easier for parents to apply for free/reduced meals for their kids online.

In 2020, we passed five of my school meals bills.

This year, we're on track to pass two more, bringing my total to eight since 2019.
The reason I filed all these bills and they keep passing is because every time I find out that kids are going hungry when we can prevent it or being shamed for carrying debt, I go after it.

I have two demands:

1) Provide universal free school breakfast and lunch - which we're doing now, so permanently extend the USDA waiver and codify it. This will prevent school meal debt & shaming.

2) Free meals for kids at the end of the school day so they don't go home hungry.

Until those objectives are met, I'll keep filing bills to feed hungry kids and prevent people from shaming them.

School meal debt shouldn't exist. Ever. Period.

Feed all the kids.

#SeeAKidFeedAKid

Side note: You'll note I don't say "feed only Democratic kids, Republican kids, independent kids, third party kids" or something asinine like that.

Feeding people in general and children specifically should be a universal value we all share. This should be beyond politics.