Michigan School Students Will Get Free Breakfast and Lunch All Year

Beginning in the fall, school students throughout the state of Michigan will get two free meals each day.

Michigan Joins Other States

According to Governor Gretchen Whitmer's office, Michigan is the seventh state in the US to offer free breakfast and lunch for all public school students.

The program is part of a $160 million investment included in Michian's School Aid Budget. The effort was passed in June of this year with support from both sides of the aisle. Governor Whitmer signed it into law on Thursday (7/20).

All of Michigan's 1.3 million school students in more than 500 public school districts will qualify, so parents and students will not need to fill out paperwork or worry about eligibility requirements.

During the pandemic, the federal government helped provide free breakfast and lunch to school children throughout the state, but that program expired in 2022.

Continuation of the Free Lunch Program

Michigan has a long history of providing free lunches or reduced-priced lunches for families who have qualified. The state indicates that about 50% of students have qualified for the programs in the past.

According to Feeding America, food insecurity affects more than 282,000 children in the state, approximately one in every eight children.

Diane Golzynski, is the former Michigan Department of Education Director of Health and Nutrition Services. now serving as the department's Deputy Superintendent for Finance and Operations. She says providing breakfast and lunch not only gives all children the ability to compete on the same playing field academically but gives them the dignity they deserve.