Food to learn, grow, and thrive

California is home to one of the world’s largest economies—and the nation’s highest rate of child poverty. Millions of children across our state rely on publicly funded nutrition programs operated by schools, community organizations, and childcare providers. These programs are a lifeline for the more than 2 million California kids living in households that struggle with food insecurity. 

In 2022, California became the first state in the nation to provide universal school meals to all school-aged children. The program offers breakfast and lunch free of cost to any child who wants to participate. The sustainability of this program depends largely on optimizing federal and state funding. In addition, we must make sure that every child has access to meals during the summer months. Nourish California is working to bridge the gaps so kids have year-round access to nutritious foods.

Every kids deserves access to food every day. This campaign pursues this by advocating for school meals, Summer and Pandemic EBT, and more.

Legislation

Follow along for updates, Frequently Asked Questions, and opportunities to call our leaders to actions.

Related Posts

Governor Proposes Major Investment in School Nutrition

School Meals in the May Revise All California kids deserve to learn, grow, and achieve at their fullest potential. Today, Governor Newsom invested in that vision by releasing a May Revise budget summary that includes $150 million in ongoing funds to “encourage local educational agencies to participate in one of the federal universal meal provisions” […]

Child Nutrition Waivers Extended through June 2022: What this Means for California Kids

Child Nutrition Waivers Extended through June 2022 What this Means for California Kids On April 20th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) extended several child nutrition waivers for schools and child care. The waivers are available nationwide through June 30, 2022. Additional guidance regarding implementation was issued earlier this month. We anticipate that California administrators will soon provide details about the implementation of the waivers [...]

Thanks to your advocacy, more children will receive free school meals next school year

Nourish California commends the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its decision to extend nationwide Community Eligibility Provision deadlines. The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a federal program that enables schools to serve free meals to all students in high-poverty schools. The economic effects of COVID-19 mean more schools are now eligible to apply for CEP and many schools can receive increased reimbursement through CEP. [...]

Every Kid, Every Day

Food to learn, grow, and thrive.