Join Rachael & Yum-o!: Free School Lunches for All NYC Public School Students

Today, many families are struggling to provide their kids with the nutrition necessary to learn and grow. Without proper nourishment, students are missing their chance to reach their full potential in school and beyond.

That’s why Rachael and Yum-o! have joined forces with theLunch 4 Learning (L4L) coalition and are asking New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to fund free lunch for all NYC public school students, regardless of income. Sign her petition and join Rach in this important initiative!

“I’ve launched my Change.org petition urging Mayor Bill de Blasio to ensure that he sticks to his commitment of providing New York City public school students with a nutritious free lunch without regard to income,” she said. “All children should have access to a nutritious hot meal at lunch, end of story. Kids with empty bellies can’t learn.”

As a passionate advocate for getting kids in the kitchen and for improved nutrition for children across the nation through Yum-o!, this petition strikes close to home. For some students, the lunchroom is the only time in their day they will receive a nutritious meal.

Another challenge facing hungry kids is the stigma of getting a free school lunch: 75 percent of NYC’s 1.1 million public school children have family incomes low enough to be eligible for free or reduced priced lunch. Yet, hundreds of thousands of students in NYC public schools do not participate in federally funded school lunch due to the program’s poverty stigma.

Students should be focused on learning, not distracted by hunger. This is the first step in making a change, and we hope you’ll help support this initiative that would be an incredible model for the rest of the U.S.