PHILADELPHIA, PA- U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Arlen Specter
(R-PA) today joined Mayor Michael Nutter and U.S. Representatives Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) and Robert Brady (D-PA) in expressing their disappointment over the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) recent decision to terminate the important school universal feeding program in Philadelphia's school district. At the event today, the members joined together to announce their plans to help restore the program.
"The USDA's decision to end the Philadelphia program that provides free nutritious meals to all students is short-sighted and undoes years of progress to end childhood hunger," said Senator Casey. "I have called on the USDA to reverse their decision and if they are unwilling to cooperate, I will introduce a legislative extension for the Philadelphia program as soon as we are back in session."
“Ending the Universal Feeding Program would reverse the good work done to fight hunger and have a devastating impact on the many children in Philadelphia who rely on the school district as a source of nutrition,” Senator Specter said. “I urge the USDA to reconsider their decision and I will work with Senator Casey and my colleagues to see to it that the important benefits of the program continue as they have for the past 18 years.”
“I am proud to stand with our Congressional delegation to support some of Philadelphia's most vulnerable residents—our young people," said Mayor Michael Nutter. "If students are hungry they are not ready to learn and now is not the time for the federal government in Washington to cut back on support for nutrition, education and children.”
Congressman Fattah said, "School nutrition is about more than just meeting the needs of households facing food insecurity. These meals improve our kids' school work and well-being and are critical to helping us develop productive citizens. It is irresponsible of the Department to end such a successful program months before we're going to have the opportunity to take a real look at this and improve federal nutrition policy. I can't imagine why anyone would want to put any new barriers between a child's empty stomach and nutritious food."
“Children concentrate better and learn more at school when they are not hungry. Right here in Philadelphia, we have a national model for meeting these goals, and I can tell you that the Congressional delegation is committed to ensuring that we do not fail our kids by allowing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to halt this vitally, successful initiative,” said Congresswoman Schwartz.
Congressman Robert A. Brady, “The nation is facing an economic crisis and families are being hit hard by escalating food prices. So this is certainly not the time to discontinue this pilot free and reduced meal program for public school students. The decision by the USDA must be reversed. No child should be left hungry in our classrooms.”
"On behalf of the School District of Philadelphia, I would like to thank Pennsylvania Senators Bob Casey, Arlen Specter and Philadelphia's Congressional delegation for their support on this important issue," said School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Dr. Arlene Ackerman. “The District is disappointed with the decision by the USDA. We will continue to fight to reverse the decision because we believe it replaces an efficient and streamlined process with an inefficient and ineffective process that costs more money to implement and maintain, and runs a greater risk of denying essential nutritional services to eligible Philadelphia children.”
At today's press conference, the members announced that if the USDA does not reverse their plans to terminate the program, that that they will introduce legislation to extend the program until 2015. This extension will give the Philadelphia School district enough time to re-write their budgets to serve all the students who have come to rely on the National School Breakfast and Lunch program.
In cooperation with the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service, the District began the Universal Feeding Program in 1991. The program created a more streamlined alternative for counting and claiming meals under the National School Breakfast and School lunch program because parents and students weren't required to fill out application forms for free or reduced-price meals.
Instead, the eligibility requirements were based on a comprehensive socio-economic study. This method eliminated cumbersome paperwork and administrative layers for parents and for the School District to ensure that every child is able to receive meals at no cost.
Currently 120,000 school children get access to nutritious meals through this program – that's 72% of all Philadelphia kids in public schools and 200 of the neediest schools out of the total 280 Philadelphia schools participate in the universal meals program.
Philadelphia schools serve more than 50,000 breakfasts and 115,000 lunches every school day and the program is considered to be a model of an effective, straightforward program for getting increased numbers of healthy meals to more kids.
Last week, Senators Casey and Specter and U.S. Representatives Brady, Schwartz and Fattah sent a letter to the USDA urging the administration to reconsider their decision to terminate the Universal feeding program.
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