Senators, Assemblymen, advocates, and students from across New York joined the Healthy School Meals for All NY Kids Coalition at the State Capitol Wednesday, calling for the inclusion of universal free school meals in the 2026 state budget.
In her State of the State address and last Wednesday’s Executive Budget presentation, Governor Kathy Hochul announced full funding for universal school meals for all New York students as part of her affordability agenda.
The investment would expand access to free school breakfast and lunch to an additional 280,000 students in 600 schools across New York.
The State Senate and Assembly have championed universal school meals and included full funding in their respective FY2024 and FY2025 one-house budgets.
Now, with the Governor’s support, advocates are calling on leaders to ensure the policy gets across the finish line in the FY2026 Enacted Budget, arguing that universal school meals not only ensures no child goes hungry at school, but puts money back in parents’ pockets at a time of rising costs and growing economic inequality.
The cutoff for free school meals for a family of four is currently $58,000 per year.
“Eliminating food insecurity, ending stigma, and saving families money—that’s the simplest budget math there is, and it equals Universal School Meals,” said Senator Michelle Hinchey, Senate sponsor of the Universal School Meals Act.
“For the first time, this vital program is included in the Executive Budget, building on years of strong support and advocacy from the State Legislature.
Universal school meals also provide a boost for local farmers.
Healthy School Meals for All improves schools’ buying power and streamlines administration of school nutrition programs, allowing schools to dedicate more resources to farm-to-school.
More than 90 percent of New York school districts that participate in the state’s Farm to School incentive program do so with the benefit of the universal free school meals.
“New York Farm Bureau truly appreciates Governor Hochul’s support of Healthy Schools Meals for All,” said New York Farm Bureau Senior Associate Director of Public Policy Renée St. Jacques.
“We urge the legislature to include these funds in the final state budget, which will ensure that all students in New York can benefit from free school meals.
“It will also generate stable revenue for schools, which will help promote partnering with farms to provide fresh, local food to students.”
“Today is both a day of celebration and a call to action for universal school meals,” said Andrés Vives, Chief Executive Officer of Hunger Solutions New York.
“Governor Hochul’s support for free school breakfast and lunch is a historic step. Now we must ensure this investment gets across the finish line in the final state budget, so New York can close the school meals gap for 280,000.
“We look forward to working with the Legislature and the Governor to ensure this is the year Healthy School Meals for All becomes a reality in New York.”
The FY2024 and FY2025 state budgets included funding for a partial expansion of free school meals; the state’s current $145.6 million investment supplements meal costs for schools enrolled in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).
The investment has allowed 1,400 additional schools to offer universal free meals through that federal provision, expanding access to free school meals to 384,000 more students statewide.
Still, nearly 600 schools remain ineligible for CEP.
Fully funding universal school meals would close the gap so all New York schools can provide free meals to all students.
“Educators know that if a kid is hungry, they can’t learn; it impacts everything from concentration to absenteeism to test scores,” said Melinda Person, President of New York State United Teachers.
“When families in New York State are struggling to feed their children and one in six kids faces food insecurity, this initiative is a huge step forward in addressing an unmet need.”
A recent survey conducted by Hunger Solutions New York found that 87 percent of New York parents believe all students—no matter their family’s income—should have access to free school meals.
This finding aligns with a November 2023 poll conducted by Siena University that found 77 percent of registered New York voters supported a state-funded universal school meal program.