Gov. Josh Stein discusses aims to increase free school meals for students

On Tuesday morning, Gov. Josh Stein delivered a speech at the N.C. Child Hunger Leaders Conference in Chapel Hill to promote free school breakfasts and lunches for students. 

The Carolina Hunger Initiative, which is based at the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, hosted the 14th annual conference. 

In his keynote address, Stein said that Pitt County, along with several other counties in North Carolina, utilizes the USDA Community Eligibility Provision. The program is a school breakfast and lunch meal service option that allows poverty-affected schools to offer meals at no cost to the enrolled students, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's website. 

Stein said thatCEP is an incredible program that prevents kids from being stressed about whether they will be able to have breakfast or lunch. He said that some students who have had to miss meals can now go to school fed and ready to learn. 

Stein claimed that when students receive free meals at school, they are more likely to arrive on time, attend class and score higher on tests. 

“In other words, if we want our kids to succeed, we've got to ensure they are fed,” he said.

Sara Clement, director of community health & nutrition at the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, said thatshe was working at the conference to try to learn more about the communities her organization serves by collecting data from attendees. 

Her table had QR codes for online surveys, paper surveys in English and Spanish and Post-it notes for people to write their feedback. 

“I just really think it's really important to get the feedback from our community and not always make assumptions that we know what is best for them,” she said. 

Kelleta Govan, school nutrition director for Dare County Schools, said that there needs to be more advocacy for healthy meals to make them available to all students. She said thatDare County Schools started giving students meals at no cost last fall. 

Joshua Chitalo is the director of Mount Carmel HELPS, Inc., an organization based in Jacksonville, N.C. that offers transportation, food and housing services. Chitalo said thathe has been working in the community for a long time to address child hunger. He said thathe has participated in different forms of food distribution, collaborated with The Center for Black Health and Equity and gone to the governor’s office to push policy change.

“There's an African saying that says: the small trees of today will be the forest of tomorrow,” Chitalo said. “If we don't take care of the small trees today, we're not going to have the forest, you know, and so trying to make sure that people can be fed and help the community — that is the advancement of the future that we want to be, that's how we can bring about change.”

In his speech, Stein said that it is unacceptable that one in five children experience hunger in North Carolina. He said he's sure that everyone in the room is  concerned about the proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by the federal government. 

He told attendees at the conference that he needs their help in initiating change, which they can do by reaching out to the state legislature to stand up for school nutrition in Western North Carolina.

“I would love to feed every student in the school system,” Govan said. “I just want kids to come in, be comfortable, receive a healthy meal. Give us feedback suggestions — how can we improve to make them more inviting and welcome them in.”

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