Advocacy organizations Health School Meals for All and Hunger Solutions New York surveyed 126 schools and found that 86.7% of all districts reported a primary cause of meal debt stemming from families that are unable to pay.
This crisis is a nightmarish reality for students with low-income backgrounds that must now make a daily choice between going hungry or financially burdening their parents.
Albany must fund universal school meal program
![cartoon of young girl next to many discarded school lunch trays](https://schoolmealsforallny.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Screen-Shot-2023-03-29-at-10.48.40-AM.png)