Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a member of the House Agriculture Committee, is applauding the Biden Administration for its $60 million investment to help schools increase access to healthy foods for students. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the announcement today at an elementary school in Virginia, where he unveiled two new grant opportunities plus a training and technical assistance partnership to help schools continue to invest in nutritious school meals. This announcement helps to reach the goals released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022 to increase access to healthy foods for students at schools across the country. All this unfolds as USDA joins students, parents/caregivers, schools, communities, and partners across the country in recognizing National School Lunch Week, as proclaimed by President Biden, and National Farm to School Month.

“Once again, our state’s motto of Dirigo is on the mark! Maine is setting an example for the rest of the country with its landmark free school meals program, which has given all kids in our state a fair shot to excel academically without the burden of hunger or financial stress distracting from their education. Last year during a visit to Gorham Middle School, Secretary Vilsack got a chance to see how the school lunch program is already having an impact on our children,” said Congresswoman Pingree. “Secretary Vilsack’s announcement today is an important step towards ensuring kids everywhere have access to nutritious and locally-grown food at school, and I am thrilled to see the Biden Administration follow Maine’s lead to create greater access to healthy school food for every single child in America.”

“USDA is committed to giving students the nutrition they need to reach their full potential by empowering schools to continue serving delicious, healthy meals,” said Secretary Vilsack. “There’s no better time to announce these new efforts to support schools than during National School Lunch Week and Farm to School Month, as we acknowledge the critical role that school meals play in a child’s life. The Biden-Harris Administration will continue doing everything we can to ensure schools have the tools they need to keep serving the highest quality meals to kids across America.”

USDA is partnering with the Urban School Food Alliance to provide trainings and tools to school districts that will help them purchase high quality foods, while keeping costs low. In recent years schools have faced challenges in obtaining healthy foods consistently, efficiently and effectively. This initiative will support schools with school meals procurement, including the development of tools and training.

Click here to learn about the announcement. 

Background:

As a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Pingree has made fighting hunger, reducing food waste, and expanding access to healthy food top priorities. Pingree cosponsored the Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Demonstration Pilot Act, and is the lead sponsor of the Kids Eat Local Act to support local and regional food systems and encourage healthy meal choices among school-aged children.

She has also written several bills to reduce food waste and address hunger, including the Food Date Labeling Act to ensure Americans do not feel it is necessary to throw out safe, consumable food. 

Last August, Pingree was part of a successful bipartisan effort to extend 12 crucial waivers which allowed the USDA to feed millions of school-aged children.

Pingree serves on both the House Agriculture Committee and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, and in 2018 launched the first-ever Bipartisan Food Recovery Caucus. Pingree is a cosponsor of the Universal School Meals Program Act, which would permanently provide free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to all school children regardless of income, eliminate school meal debt, and strengthen local economies by incentivizing local food procurement.

In April 2022, Mills and the Maine Legislature approved $27 million from the state’s supplemental budget to cover the cost of school meals not reimbursed by the federal government. Secretary Vilsack visited Maine in October 2022 to highlight Maine’s Free School Meals Program, touring Gorham Middle School with Pingree and Governor Janet Mills.

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