When the school year began in the fall, students of Archuleta School District (ASD) started benefiting from free breakfast and lunch at school. This was thanks to Proposition FF (Healthy School Meals For All), which was passed in the 2022 election cycle by Colorado voters. Healthy School Meals for All allows any school district in the state who would like to participate to let students receive free food as well as other perks like providing local produce for the cafeteria and stipends for cafeteria workers. These benefits will, however, be rolled out in different phases throughout the upcoming school years.
However, families and students are still seeing some significant benefits from the implementation of free school meals this year. A big barrier for students and families was the stigma surrounding free school meals in prior years before the Healthy School Meals for All program. Many students didn’t feel comfortable receiving free school meals because of what their peers would think of them if they did. This school year, that stigma might have gone down a little bit.
ASD Food Service Director Todd Stevens says there has been approximately a 40% increase in students that are receiving school meals this year alone. This shows how many students are finding value in the Healthy School Meals for All program at our schools. Another big benefit to the Healthy School Meals for All program at our schools is the money that families are saving. According to sources, the average family is saving around $1,250 now that they don’t have to write a check for their child’s lunch account. This is money that can be very useful for families in our community. It can be put towards expenses such as housing, transportation, and utilities.
Families also don’t have to worry about whether they can qualify for free/reduced lunch after filling out the forms. Their kids can go and get it for free every day. However, it is still highly recommended that families fill out those free/reduced lunch applications for extra school funding. Right now, the funding for these programs is in jeopardy, and lawmakers are looking at ways to help fix this funding gap in the Healthy School Meals for All program.
So, having families fill out the free/reduced lunch applications is important.
Any families that have not yet filled out the application for the 2023-2024 school year are encouraged to do so. For a copy of the application, please visit the Archuleta School District website at https://www.mypagosaschools.com/ and click on the popup “Free and Reduced Lunch Application” in the upper right-hand corner.
The food served at our school every day is also delicious and enjoyable for students, and the Healthy Archuleta Youth CLLC has shared that there really is no denying that the quality of those meals has greatly improved. These meals help ensure that students are eating nutritious foods that will benefit their health.
To learn more about the efforts of Healthy Archuleta, please email us at fsfearchuleta@gmail.com or visit our website at https://www.foodcoalition4archuleta.org.