(WJAR) — As children return to school, more and more families in Massachusetts are taking the opportunity to eat well.
The state continues to fund free meals, a practice that began during the pandemic.
In Rhode Island, not all children receive free lunch and breakfast at school.
The permanent program in Massachusetts is funded with state and federal funds.
No registration is required, just come and eat.
New data from Governor Maura Healey’s office compares the 2022-23 school year with the previous year.
About 12 million more lunches and 9 million more breakfasts were served.
The director of the Office of Food and Nutrition Programs of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education says it was a great success.
“As a parent, I can do this, I can do this. I know that students only eat lunch if it is something desirable and they want to eat it. The fact that over 60,000 more children are eating lunch at school is certainly due to the fact that the meals are free or cost nothing to families. That is a relief, an additional cost and a burden for many families. But something also has to be going right in the school cafeterias to keep students coming for lunch and breakfast,” said Rob Leshin of the DESE Office of Food and Nutrition.
Rhode Island has a similar free or reduced-price lunch program, but families must meet eligibility requirements.
