In 2018, Desert Sands Unified School District was part of a federal pilot program that tested free lunches for all students. Six schools in high-poverty areas were selected.
The results were so successful, said Daniel Cappello, director of student nutrition, that the program expanded to at least 10 more schools the following year. Then school closures occurred as COVID-19 spread, leading to general meal arrangements for the masses thanks to government assistance programs.
In 2022, California became the first state in the U.S. to implement a Universal Meals Program for all school children. It requires public schools to provide a free and nutritionally adequate breakfast and lunch every day, regardless of the student’s household income.
From Cappello’s point of view, the change could not have come soon enough, given the rising food prices and the financial difficulties faced by many families.
“We give the children books, we give them pencils. Why don’t we give them a meal as well?” he said. “Free meals for all is a win-win for everyone.”
Other states are following suit. The Food Research & Action Center, an advocacy group that aims to end poverty-related hunger and food insecurity, counts at least seven other states that have implemented free meals for all programs: Maine, Colorado, Minnesota, New Mexico, Vermont, Michigan and Massachusetts. This fall, the program could become a campaign issue in the presidential race, as Gov. Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, signed a free meals law in Minnesota last year.
At Desert Sands, Cappello said, one of the biggest benefits of free meals is that there is no longer a stigma about who has to pay and who doesn’t. Before free meals were widely implemented, up to 70% of students in Palm Desert, La Quinta and Indio were eligible. Although the district’s meal system was designed to keep students’ status secret, some children may have felt embarrassed or ashamed.
“It was uncomfortable for the children at times,” he said. “There should be no shame in requesting and receiving a free meal. But unfortunately, sometimes it was.”
Children who had to pay also sometimes experienced inconveniences – such as having to tell staff they forgot their lunch money or didn’t have enough that day. “If you’re not on the free lunch program, you have to carry cash and make sure your parents don’t forget it,” Cappello said.
Handling lunch money in an increasingly cashless era also frustrates parents, Cappello said. While the district has a system that allows parents to add money to their child’s account, there are additional processing fees.
“We give the children books, we give them pencils. Why don’t we give them a meal too? Free meals for all are a win for everyone.”
Daniel Cappello, Director of Student Nutrition at Desert Sands Unified School District
All of these problems resulted in a mountain of debt for the school district. According to Cappello, the district’s lunch debt rose from $30,000 in one year to as much as $130,000 before COVID-19.
“We feed every child. We’ve never turned anyone away because they didn’t have money or didn’t fill out the application,” he said. But that money would ultimately have to come from the school’s district budget to keep it running. Now, he said, the department is no longer operating at a deficit.
The funding system for school districts can be complex. The federal government, through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, reimburses districts for meals for students who qualify for reduced-price lunches. But in California, the Universal Meal Program essentially reimburses a district for meals for all other students.
There is evidence that more children are receiving free school lunches. Nationwide, the number of meals served increased dramatically after the state implemented the program. USDA data shows that schools served more than 849.3 million lunches and breakfasts in the 2022-2023 school year. That’s about 25 million more meals than in the 2018-2019 school year.
Monica Saucedo, a senior policy fellow at the California Budget and Policy Center, told the Independent that the policy has brought concrete benefits to families across the state. “Access has definitely increased,” she said.
It has also become an important safety net for families who unexpectedly find themselves in need. Getting a student who suddenly becomes eligible for free lunch can be a multi-step process. But the Universal Meal Program means that a parent who loses their job doesn’t have to worry about being able to feed their children at least two healthy meals a day. “We know that food insecurity can happen at any income level and that circumstances can change so quickly,” she said. “That’s huge for kids who don’t have a stable source of food.”
At this point, Saucedo said, it’s critical to ensure the program remains a priority even as more students participate and the state struggles with a budget deficit. The program’s base funding is $1.6 billion. But this year’s state budget added an additional $179.4 million in ongoing general funding through Proposition 98, which comes from a combination of state general fund revenues and local property taxes. This budget also includes a one-time allocation of $120.8 billion.
“This investment underscores the importance of this program in the lives of children, especially given the state’s budget deficit,” Saucedo said.
Behind the scenes, free school lunch also increases operational efficiency. Previously, families with economic difficulties had to qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which created a pile of paperwork for families and school districts. According to Cappello, the school district – which serves about 26,800 children daily – received thousands of applications that had to be processed by hand. Now, the school district no longer has to process those applications. Thanks to a federal Community Eligibility Provision for school districts in low-income areas, many schools across the country are in the same boat.
For Cappello, this is a strategy that allows his team to focus their attention on other things.
“When everyone is free, we can concentrate on the food,” said Capello.
