NEWS RELEASE
Date: October 9, 2026
ODE Media Contact: Liz Merah
OSBA Media Contact: Jake Arnold
Oregon Department of Education and Oregon School Boards Association Celebrate National School Lunch Week
(Salem, OR) - The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA) are joining schools across the state in celebrating National School Lunch Week October 12-16, highlighting the value of school meals and child nutrition in supporting student health, learning, and connection.
Students need more than what happens in the classroom to be ready to learn and thrive. Nutritious meals, trusted relationships, and a sense of belonging are part of that foundation. School meals provide an important opportunity to support students’ well-being while bringing students and school communities together each day.
Throughout the week, school board members from across Oregon will join students for lunch in their local schools. The visits will give board members an opportunity to see school meal programs firsthand, learn more about nutritious school meal options, and experience the important role that school lunches play in bringing students and school communities together.
“Every kid in Oregon needs nutritious food to help them learn, grow, and thrive,” said Governor Tina Kotek. “Oregon has made important investments to expand access to school meals year-round, and National School Lunch Week is an opportunity to recognize the educators, school nutrition professionals, and communities working every day to make sure students are getting regular meals so they can stay healthy and benefit from class time.”
“School meals are about more than what is on the tray,” said Dustin Melton, Director of ODE’s Child Nutrition Program. “They create daily opportunities for students to connect with one another, build relationships with trusted adults, and feel a sense of belonging at school. National School Lunch Week is a chance to recognize the school nutrition professionals who make those connections possible every day and celebrate the welcoming school communities they help create.”
In the 2025-26 school year, Oregon schools served over 46 million school lunches to students. Oregon has also made significant investments to expand access to school meals, including funding of approximately $125 million in the Student Success Act, in the 2025-27 biennium.
For school board members, participating in National School Lunch Week is also an opportunity to better understand the work happening in school cafeterias every day.
“As a mother and volunteer, the school lunch period is my favorite time of the day,” said Dawn Watson, OSBA Board president and Phoenix-Talent School Board member. “When we give our children delicious and nutritious foods, they come alive with wonderful conversations, contagious enthusiasm and unstoppable energy. Every education leader should experience what it means to give our students vital fuel for learning.”
Follow National School Lunch Week activities across Oregon on social media using #NSLW26inOR.
More information about National School Lunch Week and Oregon’s School Nutrition Programs can be found online.
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