On Thursday, May 7, the New Jersey School Boards Association joined Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05) at the Ann Blanche Smith Elementary School in Hillsdale to announce efforts to combat food insecurity.
NJSBA President Michael Jacobs, Executive Director/CEO Dr. Timothy Purnell, and Senior Director of Advocacy Jonathan Pushman joined the congressman at the event. Dr. Purnell provided remarks, which can be found in full below. Other local groups in attendance included Hunger Free New Jersey and the New Jersey School Nutrition Association.
Rep. Gottheimer announced the Feed Our Kids Act, which is proposed federal legislation that would provide free breakfast, lunch, and after-school snacks to all K-12 public school students nationally; eliminate unpaid meal debt from schools; ensure meals are nutritious and locally sourced when possible; extend meal access during summer break and sudden school closures; eliminate the stigma associated with means-tested meal programs by making access universal; and provide Congress with a report on the impacts of free school meals.
The congressman also called for restoration of the Local Food for Schools and Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement programs and expressed his desire for the Senate to reverse proposed SNAP changes that would reduce eligibility for food assistance.
Recordings of the press conference are available on the congressman’s YouTube page (Part 1 and Part 2) and more information can be found in his office’s press release.
Remarks from NJSBA Executive Director/CEO Dr. Timothy Purnell:
Good morning. I want to begin by thanking Congressman Gottheimer for the invitation, his leadership and his commitment to the students of New Jersey. This issue matters.
John F. Kennedy once said, “Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.” Congressman Gottheimer is putting that belief into action.
We know that a hungry child cannot learn. It is that simple. No curriculum, no technology, no dedicated teacher can overcome an empty stomach. Food security is not a social issue sitting alongside education; it is the foundation beneath it.
At the New Jersey School Boards Association, we represent the local boards of education that serve more than 1.4 million public school students across the state. Many of our members know what food insecurity looks like. It manifests in a child who cannot concentrate. A student who acts out. A young person whose potential goes unrealized, not for lack of ability, but for lack of a meal.
This federal action changes that equation. It puts resources where they are needed most. On behalf of New Jersey’s school board members, who wake up each morning committed to doing what is best for kids, thank you, Congressman.”
