Wednesday, March 19, 2025 — 12pm
Statement attributable to Lou Anne Crumpler, Director, Carolina Hunger Initiative
The nutrition programs prioritized by Governor Josh Stein in his recommended budget would have significant, positive impacts on the health of North Carolina families.
In North Carolina, 1 in 5 children experience food insecurity. The funding allocated to make school breakfast available at no cost to all families would be a crucial step towards ending child hunger in our state. From calmer classrooms to reduced chronic absenteeism, a healthy school breakfast is an educational intervention setting up students for success. In a recent survey, superintendents and principals statewide overwhelmingly agreed: no-cost school meals support student success both in and out of the classroom.
Other nutrition programs in the recommended budget would make it easier for families to buy healthy food for kids in the summer months and empower community organizations to deliver nutritious foods directly to people with health needs.
The children who benefit from these programs today will be leading our state in the future. These programs are critical components of our state’s health, food, and education systems. By funding them, North Carolina will be stronger.
About the Carolina Hunger Initiative
Our mission is to increase access to healthy meals year-round for North Carolinians. The Carolina Hunger Initiative is a project at the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and works in collaboration with the No Kid Hungry campaign. We use programming, applied research, and compelling communications to support policy, systems, and environmental changes that connect people with the food they need. Learn more about our work—and the impact of the programs we support—at CarolinaHungerInitiative.org and SummerMeals4NCKids.org/county-profiles.