Powering Participation: RESOURCES TO PROMOTE NEW YORK’S UNIVERSAL FREE SCHOOL MEALS!
BY FRANCESCA DIGIORGIO, MPH School Meals Policy & Engagement Specialist Hunger Solutions New York
Since the 2025-2026 school year began, New York’s 2.7 million students have had free breakfast and lunch available to all every school day, no questions asked. The State’s newly enacted Universal School Meals Policy is a critical tool against child hunger during a time of rising food insecurity 1 . Research shows 2 that when free school meals are available to all, more students participate. New York’s recent gains 3 in school meal participation exemplify this trend–a success largely due to the state’s historic expansion of free school meals through the Community Eligibility Provision. Now that universal free school meals are a reality in New York, schools can take additional steps to maximize participation, starting with wide, regular promotion of the program’s availability and benefits. Our latest strategies and resources below: Spread the word about universal school meals with our toolkit! Awareness is a key driver of strong school meal participation. Our new Universal School Meals Outreach Toolkit offers free resources for school districts to make promotion to students and families a lighter lift: ■ Sample social media posts and images: Download sample messages and images to use on your social media channels and other communications. ■ Sample communications language: Promote the benefits of universal free school meals on your website, newsletters, emails, texts/robocalls, and more. ■ Flyers to print or use digitally.
1. Amplify free breakfast for all in your community! Use our toolkit to spread the word about free breakfast for all through your existing communications to students and families. *More #NSBW26 social media resources coming soon!* Sign up for our newsletter to get notified when these are available. 2. Join the conversation on social media. During NSBW, Hunger Solutions New York will be sharing daily posts highlighting how New York schools are reaching students with free school breakfast for all. Connect with us on social—like, share and comment on why school breakfast is important to your school community! ■ Use and follow these hashtags: #NationalSchoolBreakfastWeek, #SchoolBreakfastNY, #Meals4AllN, #NSBW26. This helps us amplify your posts! ■ Find Hunger Solutions New York on social media: Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook
Celebrate universal school meals during National School Breakfast Week! National School Breakfast Week (NSBW)—March 2-6, 2026—is around the corner and is also an opportunity to highlight the power of universal free school meals in your community. During New York’s historic NSBW, schools and partners can celebrate this incredible victory with two key actions:
22
FreshBites
WINTER 2026
Powered by FlippingBook