Serving MD’s Children: Support Meals for Achievement

Today we have another guest blog, this time from Lisa Klingenmeier at Maryland Hunger Solutions.

Even as the national economy slowly improves, many Maryland families still struggle to make ends meet. Maryland has the highest median household income in the country, yet statewide 14.8 percent of households had difficulty affording enough food to feed their family during the first 6 months of 2012. From December of 2011 to December of 2012, every county in Maryland had an increase in enrollment in the Food Supplement Program (known nationally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and formerly known as Food Stamps). At the same time, the USDA estimates that food costs will rise between 3 and 4 percent in 2013.  Reliable sources of healthy meals, through programs like the School Breakfast Program, are more important than ever.

Photo taken at Meade Middle School, an MMFA School

Maryland Meals for Achievement (MMFA) allows participating schools to provide breakfast free to all students in the classroom, thereby increasing breakfast participation, while reducing stigma and other barriers to participation.  The program addresses the hunger and nutritional needs of students in schools where at least 40 percent of students are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. The benefits of MMFA are clear – higher school breakfast participation has a positive impact on the educational performance, health, and behavior of Maryland’s children.

Unfortunately, during the 2012-2013 school year, only 271 schools of the 813 schools that are eligible for MMFA are actually participating because of budget limitations. As more families are struggling to make ends meet and put adequate food on their table, it is essential that eligible schools receive the resources they need to provide free school breakfast to all of their students through the MMFA program.

In his FY2014 budget proposal, Governor Martin O’Malley included an additional $1.8 million dollars in the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) – Aid to Education budget for MMFA, which would provide in-classroom breakfast to 57,000 more vulnerable children.

Maryland Meals for Achievement is only part of a statewide investment by community partners to help combat childhood hunger, but it is an important, proven, and cost-effective one.  As many Maryland families continue to struggle with food insecurity, Maryland Hunger Solutions and MBTPI strongly support MSDE’s Aid to Education budget as set by the Administration, including the additional funding for the Maryland Meals for Achievement program.