Hunger exists in every county in our nation. In Kansas and Missouri, there are people experiencing food insecurity in sparsely-populated rural counties, suburban communities and urban centers. Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, food insecurity was at the lowest point seen since before the Great Recession of 2008. The pandemic increased food insecurity significantly in 2020, and the numbers have continued to rise even higher since.

Food insecurity is defined as a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life. There may be enough for today, but there is uncertainty if there will be enough food for tomorrow. This can be a temporary situation for a household, or it can last a long time.

Nearly 14 million children faced hunger in 2023. According to the USDA, one in every five children is unsure where they will get their next meal. In the 2024–2025 school year, a family of three would need to make less than $34,000 to receive free meals in most states.

In Harvesters’ 27-county service area in Kansas City and Missouri:

• 1 in 8 (12.3%) people are at risk of hunger. That’s 12.3% of the population or 338,990 individuals.
• 1 in 6 kids are at risk of hunger. That’s 17% of the population or 109,160 children.

Source: Harvesters

School meals play an important role in reducing childhood hunger, supporting good nutrition, and ensuring that students are hunger-free and ready to get the most out of their school day.

Research links participation in school meals to positive educational and health outcomes for our nation’s children. School meals are just as important to academic success as textbooks, computers, and transportation, and all children should have access to them every school day.

As vital as the school nutrition programs are to ensuring children’s access to healthy, nutritious meals, too many children in need miss out because of the programs’ current structure. Many struggling families do not meet the eligibility threshold for free meals, which requires a family of three to earn less than $33,000 annually.

Healthy School Meals for All means offering school breakfast and lunch to all students at no charge, so they can learn and thrive. Serving school meals to all students at no cost on a permanent basis would be a game changer for students, families, and schools. Providing school meals to all students is also critical for advancing racial equity and justice, helping to ensure that all students can access the key nutrition they need to thrive in the classroom and beyond.

Help Two’s AZA fight child hunger by writing to your elected officials and let them know you support comprehensive anti-hunger initiatives and legislation. In November 2024, Two’s AZA wrote to Rep. Sharice Davids, Sen. Roger Marshall and Sen. Jerry Moran, urging them to support the Healthy School Meals to All initiative.

Contacting our elected officials is crucial when striving to create or change policy, particularly in issues as pressing as hunger, which affects millions of individuals. These representatives are in positions to influence critical decisions that shape the lives of their constituents, and it is imperative to equip them with accurate, timely information that reflects the realities faced by those in our communities.

Together, we can leverage our collective strength to drive meaningful change and promote policies that alleviate food insecurity.

• The Case for Healthy School Meals for All
• 10 Reasons Why You Should Support Healthy Meals for All
• FRAC Healthy School Meals for All Fact Sheet
• REPORT: The State of Healthy School Meals for All  (February 2024)
• State Healthy School Meals for All Legislative Chart
• The Impact of Healthy School Meals for All: Testimonials & Quotes
• Healthy School Meals for All Legislative Handout
• Healthy School Meals for All Annotated Bibliography
• FRAC Oral Testimony on School Meals to Senate Agriculture Subcommittee
• FRAC: Child tax credit, nutrition program improvements needed