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It's hard to learn when you're hungry. 'I'm living proof'

The author at a Project Bread event. (Isaac Cruz/Project Bread)
The author at a Project Bread event. (Isaac Cruz/Project Bread)

I’m a high school sophomore now, and proud to say I am doing well in school. But it wasn’t always that way. I struggled in the early years of my education, largely because I didn’t have enough to eat. I didn’t get free lunch at school.

Being hungry all the time affected many things in my life, but especially how I felt during school hours and how I behaved as a result. I can remember lashing out at my teachers, not being engaged with my classwork, and being distracted, all because I was hungry.

My mother didn’t make a lot of money, but she earned enough income that our household was labeled ineligible for free school lunches. She did her best to support me with what little we had. My mother always made sure that I was fed, but what was available to us was never as nutritious as a school meal, whether it was going to the value menu at McDonald’s for dinner, or having a bowl of cereal in the morning. While other children were eating things like a burger, apple slices and whole milk for lunch, I was at the table eating off-brand Lunchables from the dollar store.

And I was still hungry. Now I understand that the lack of a reliable source of nutritionally-balanced food prevented me from building relationships with my teachers and fully understanding the topics we covered in class. Study after study supports what we already intuitively know: Hungry kids can’t learn. I’m living proof.

I can remember lashing out at my teachers, not being engaged with my classwork, and being distracted, all because I was hungry.

Eventually, my family and I began to live more comfortably. When I was 9 years old, we moved to a new city. My new school was covered by the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a federal rule that allows the nation’s highest poverty schools and districts to offer breakfast and lunch at no cost to all students enrolled.

It meant I got free breakfast and lunch at school every day. I started off my school day with a full stomach and got a nutritious meal mid-day that helped me stay engaged with my class work. There were no more outbursts and no more distractions. I went to school with a smile on my face. For my parents, being able to send their child to school without having to worry whether or not I would be hungry or could stay focused in class was a major relief. It meant the world to them knowing that I was not only pursuing my education, but doing so to the best of my ability.

Since the pandemic began, federal waivers have allowed every student in Massachusetts to receive the same benefit of free school meals, not just CEP schools. This year, Massachusetts is 1 of 5 states continuing to provide free school meals to all students all year, after the expiration of federal waivers in June 2022 (along with California, Maine, Vermont and Nevada). Five states have taken steps to make universal school meal programs permanent: California, Maine, Colorado, New Mexico and Minnesota.

Even though Massachusetts is a national leader in hunger solutions, we still have not made our universal meal program permanent. We have an opportunity to do so, and we should.

The author accepts Project Bread’s Patrick Hughes Award for Social Justice from Project Bread CEO Erin McAleer on May 7, 2023. (David Leifer Photography/Project Bread)
The author accepts Project Bread’s Patrick Hughes Award for Social Justice from Project Bread CEO Erin McAleer on May 7, 2023. (David Leifer Photography/Project Bread)

All the obstacles and challenges I faced in the past have helped me become an advocate for those in need and a person who believes that no child should have to suffer through the trials and tribulations of food insecurity. Universal school meals were — and still are — essential to my growth as a student and for my future. I’m planning for college and hope to have a career, one day, in social justice advocacy and politics.

Currently, 1 in 5 households with children in our state report that they have difficulty affording food, with BIPOC families being affected the most. If Massachusetts fails to make the pandemic-era program permanent, it means 400,000 students in the commonwealth could lose access to school meals.

Students like me deserve to be provided with what they need to succeed within the classroom. And that doesn’t just mean laptops, books, and supplies — it means a balanced meal.

Last month, the Massachusetts House of Representatives included the permanent funding of universal school meals in the FY24 state budget proposal. I hope the state Senate will do the same and support making sure all children in Massachusetts have access to nutritious, delicious meals each day.

If you support the idea of permanent universal school meals, please contact your legislators today.

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Headshot of Addario Miranda

Addario Miranda Cognoscenti contributor
Addario Miranda is a youth champion for Project Bread, a statewide anti-hunger organization in Massachusetts.

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