The Healthy School Meal for All New York Kids coalition is dedicated to elevating the lived experience of those directly impacted by school meals policies. This is an opinion essay submitted by a high school freshman who attends New York City public schools and advocates for school food through the Youth Food Advocates Internship program.
by Fatima Coulibaly
Feeding America estimates that nearly 1 in 5 children in New York experience food insecurity. I am the one. I want to share why it’s important that our state makes school meals free for all students.
I am a freshman at Manhattan’s Eleanor Roosevelt High School. I was in second grade when the city started offering universal free school lunch at all schools. I am too young to remember school lunch applications.
Free school meals are a part of my school experience which makes me all the more grateful I didn’t experience bullying on days when I rely on school meals. As a food advocate, I know that some peers in the state still have to apply and qualify for school food. They are made fun of for having no other option but to eat meals provided by their school.
This is why in January, before the sun was even up, other youth advocates and I trekked to Albany to tell state leaders why New York needs statewide universal free school meals.
I usually bring my lunch from home, but it often isn’t enough to get me through the day. And on days I can’t bring lunch, I might only have a bottle of water and chips with me. This is where free school food comes in. With healthy options served at the school cafeteria, I don’t have to worry about not eating. School food is a guaranteed source of energy. As someone who suffers from insomnia, food helps me to stay awake and alert during my classes. The school menu also offers a variety of daily items, and I usually find an option that appeals to me. At home, I am often stuck with eating the same thing most days. With school food, I have the balanced diet my body needs to function and stay healthy.
New York is set to be the ninth state to offer statewide free school meals. This is a critical step to equitably alleviate food insecurity for suburban, rural, and city students. Those like me who are part of the one in five are well aware of other financial pressures our families endure every month. I see and feel the pressures of hunger, homelessness, expensive housing, and the increasing lack of jobs in my community. School food can reach students in all communities. Free school meals can help fix food insecurity, and take away the worry for students about where their next breakfast and lunch will come from. Especially for those students who might normally be in communities and areas that are overlooked.
Universal school meals in New York City have normalized getting in line to eat, minimizing stigma and ridicule for students who need it. In my experiences with school meals, I have noticed that I don’t hear anyone make fun of classmates for actually eating school food. Most of the time the food is glossed over in favor of other topics with friends. Statewide free meals can help to minimize the stigma even further, since everyone would have access to school food. Having access to school food can help to give students an open mind, as well as be able to try something they might enjoy.
Free school meals have been a lifeline for me and other students in the city and it will be just as impactful for all students in New York. It is especially vital for other “one in fives” like me who don’t have the means to afford lunch for themselves every day. I traveled to Albany with fellow youth advocates to remind our leaders that free and accessible school meals should be a main priority to lessen the burdens of food insecurity for students like us. For the sake of current students and future students, let’s fund universal school meals in the final state budget and make sure, like me, all students have access to free school meals every day.
