NEWS RELEASE
October 7, 2022
Media Contact: Marc Siegel

Oregon Department of Education and
Oregon School Boards Association Celebrate
National School Lunch Week

(Salem, Ore.) – The week of October 10-14 is National School Lunch Week and the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA) are teaming up to raise awareness of the importance of child nutrition programs in schools.

Around the state, school board members will eat with students during the week to see for themselves the healthy and tasty options and experience the social benefits of school lunches. You can follow along on social media through the #NSLW22inOR hashtag and the ODE and OSBA Twitter accounts.

“Research shows well-fed students with proper nutrition perform better academically and behave better in the classroom,” ODE Director of Child Nutrition Dustin Melton said. “And since 2017, schools provide meals to any student who asks, without payment, to remove any stigma associated with not being able to afford a healthy meal.”

In Oregon, 49 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, and in 2018-19 more than 45 million school lunches were delivered to Oregon students. The state legislature has endorsed the value of school meals, including approximately $52 million in the Student Success Act this biennium for expanded school nutrition programs.

“Good learning starts with good nutrition,” said OSBA President Scott Rogers. “Oregon schools are feeding hundreds of thousands of students every day, and in many instances are the main reason kids are not going hungry.”

More information about National School Lunch Week and Oregon’s School Nutrition Programs can be found online. 

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