A Healthy School Meals for All that Coloradans can count on

A Healthy School Meals for All that Coloradans can count on

February 26, 2024


The Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger envisions a Colorado where everyone who lives here can access the food they choose, where they want it, and when they need it. Healthy School Meals For All and its associated grant programs take our state closer to that vision. 

In 2022, Colorado voters approved a ballot measure, led by Hunger Free Colorado, for all students to have access to school breakfast and lunch at no cost to them regardless of income. Beginning in the 2023 - 2024 school year, 100% of eligible schools opted in and more students have been eating at school thanks to this new program. 

With rising costs of living, Healthy School Meals for All has become a lifeline for many families who may be struggling to cover rent, groceries, and other bills. A recent Colorado survey reveals that food insecurity – defined as eating less than needed due to not being able to afford food – is on the rise and affecting many who make between $60,000 - $90,000 per year for a family of four. 

The successful program has exceeded expectations in student participation – so much so that there’s a significant funding shortfall to cover all associated costs. This includes the meals served, along with the anticipated grants to boost wages for those working in school cafeterias as well as to encourage more locally sourced food from Colorado farmers and ranchers through programs similar to Nourish Colorado’s current local food procurement initiatives. 

Aspects of this shortfall could not have been predicted. And, we recognize that Colorado faces many priorities for limited funding that’s also desperately needed for education, housing, mental health, and more. That’s why we’re working towards sustainable funding that Colorado families, schools, and producers can rely upon every school year.

We’re committed to working with our partners and state legislature to find solutions that will preserve the integrity of Healthy School Meals for All and its grant programs in a way that Coloradans can count on in the future. We also know that this funding challenge extends beyond the state of Colorado, and there’s no sustainable solution for universal meals without federal action.

Here’s what we’re doing right now:

At the state level:

  • NEWLY ADDED: An important part of finding solutions is understanding how school meals are administered and funded. Dive into our new brief to learn more about Healthy School Meals for All and the Community Eligibility Provision.

  • We’re sharing the program’s immense benefits for Colorado students and families with partners and legislators, as we monitor the state budget process throughout the 2024 legislative session.

  • We’re joining local and state partners within our network to find a sustaining solution that Coloradans can count on every school year. This includes the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado School Nutrition Association given their direct impacts of the funding shortfall and the future of the statewide program.

  • We’re shifting the focus of our collaborative statewide marketing and outreach campaign for Healthy Schools Meals for All, which involves 40 community partners and grantees. It now will prioritize encouraging families to complete their school’s benefits form, which directly impacts school funding and can help cover program costs. Families should reach out to their schools directly to get the correct benefit form for their school district. If families have already completed a benefit form this school year, they do not need to complete one again until the start of the 2024 - 2025 school year. 


At the federal level:

  • We’re connecting with other states that have implemented similar programs to find out what’s working, in addition to the barriers they face with funding.

  • We’re advocating to our Members of Congress about what’s needed to ensure continuous, full funding for programs like Colorado’s Healthy School Meals for All. Congress needs to bring an increase to the co-factor number that determines the level of reimbursement that a school receives for the national school breakfast and lunch programs. H.R.2567 - School Meals Expansion Act includes a provision that would increase the current multiplier to make it so schools receive more federal reimbursement for provided meals. Additionally, our nation doesn’t have a universal school meals program at the federal level, but H.R.3204 - Universal School Meals Program Act of 2023 would establish that if it becomes law. 

  • We’re also calling on national anti-hunger organizations to take additional action. They not only should continue promoting that states take on universal meals but also raise awareness about the funding shortfalls these programs are facing in a post-pandemic world.

If you’re interested in learning more and engaging around this issue with the Blueprint,