HILLSDALE, N.J. — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer on Thursday announced the proposed “Feed Our Kids Act,” federal legislation that would provide free breakfast, lunch, and after-school snacks to all K-12 public school students nationwide, while also calling for restoration of local food assistance programs and urging the Senate to reverse proposed SNAP cuts contained in the House Farm Bill.
Gottheimer made the announcement at Ann Blanche Smith School alongside local elected officials, educators, hunger-relief advocates, and community leaders.
“You can’t propel a rocket without fuel. The same goes for a growing student,” Gottheimer said. “Too many children in New Jersey are still showing up to school every morning with the tank reading empty. In the greatest country in the world, it is simply unacceptable that one in seven children in our state faces food insecurity. The Feed Our Kids Act will change that — no stigma, no bureaucracy, no child left hungry.”
The congressman framed the announcement as a response to nutrition and SNAP reductions included in the House Farm Bill passed last week, which he said would increase hunger and place additional financial burdens on states including New Jersey.
According to statistics cited by Gottheimer’s office, more than 400,000 New Jersey students received free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch during the last school year, while another 110,000 children who qualify still are not receiving meals. His office also said one in seven New Jersey children faces food insecurity and that more than 63,000 people in Bergen County experience hunger daily, including more than 30,000 children across Northern New Jersey.
Gottheimer said research shows students who receive regular meals perform better academically, are less likely to miss school or repeat grades, and experience fewer behavioral and attention problems.
“The facts couldn’t be clearer: For those students who eat breakfast and lunch, we see better performance in the classroom and better opportunities after they graduate,” Gottheimer said. “On top of that, a grumbling stomach leads to decreased ability to focus, decreased physical activity, stomach aches, headaches, depression, and anxiety.”
The proposed Feed Our Kids Act would provide universal free breakfast, lunch, and after-school snacks in public schools, eliminate unpaid school meal debt, reduce application requirements for families, and expand meal access during summer breaks and emergency school closures. The bill also calls for nutritious meals sourced locally when possible and would require a congressional report evaluating the program’s effectiveness.
“It’s universal, so no kids will be left hungry – no stigma or bureaucracy in the way,” Gottheimer said. “It also ensures meals are nutritious, locally sourced when possible, and that schools reach families during summer break and sudden school closures, so that no child’s well-being, nutrition, and ability to succeed falls through the cracks.”
Gottheimer noted that more than nine states already provide universal free school meals and argued that expanded meal access during the pandemic improved outcomes for students in New Jersey.
“We saw hunger go down and test scores go up, including more than 17 percent in math scores just from feeding our kids,” Gottheimer said.
In addition to introducing the Feed Our Kids Act, Gottheimer announced two additional actions in response to the Farm Bill.
First, he said he is sending a letter to the administration demanding restoration of the Local Food for Schools and Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement programs, which support schools, food banks, and local farmers.
“As I mentioned, in a draconian move, the Administration slashed a billion dollars of food assistance for these programs, hurting the most vulnerable in our communities and our food banks,” Gottheimer said. “New Jersey lost $26 million in previously committed funding that would have supported 46 local farms and food producers across our state — including eleven right here in my District.”
Second, Gottheimer said he is urging the Senate to reverse proposed SNAP changes that would shift additional costs onto states and reduce food assistance eligibility.
“The Farm Bill has an opportunity to save Jersey families millions of dollars, but the ‘One Big F’d Up Bill’ puts those costs squarely on Jersey families,” Gottheimer said.
According to Gottheimer’s office, the proposal would require New Jersey to cover 5% of SNAP assistance costs — up to $100 million annually — while increasing the state’s share of administrative expenses from 50% to 75%, adding another estimated $100 million per year.
“This farm bill is rotten to the core,” Gottheimer said. “But, here’s the good news: the Senate still has a real opportunity to reverse what the far right just jammed through the House, stop this insane plan, keep SNAP funded, and keep our hungry children and families fed.”
Gottheimer was joined by Hillsdale Mayor Michael Sheinfield; Hillsdale Councilman Chris Camp; Hillsdale Superintendent Robert Lombardy; Kevin Donatello, Hillsdale School Board president; Christine Higgins, principal of Ann Blanche Smith School; Michael Jacobs, president of the New Jersey School Boards Association; Dr. Timothy Purnell, executive director/CEO of NJSBA; Jonathan Pushman, senior director of advocacy for NJSBA; Sal Valenza of the New Jersey School Nutrition Association; Lisa Pitz, executive director of Hunger Free New Jersey; Beth Williams, New York state policy director for Hunger Free America; Adele LaTourette, senior policy advisor for the Community FoodBank of New Jersey; and Joe Licata, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Lower Bergen County.