Freeport Public Schools Welcomes Senator Kristen Gillibrand

Press release from Freeport Public Schools:

June 2, 2021

On May 21, Freeport Public Schools organized and hosted a press conference for U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand who is promoting the Universal School Meals Act of 2021. During the press conference, held at Caroline G. Atkinson School, Sen. Gillibrand spoke about the necessity and importance of the bill that would enable all school-aged children, regardless of income, to receive free breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack.

Those attending the press conference included Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kishore Kuncham, members of the Freeport Board of Education, administrators, the mayor of the Village of Freeport and Island Harvest President/CEO Randi Shubin Dresner.

Dr. Kuncham opened the press conference and introduced the senator. “Our schools have always been central to the lives of our families and community. We strive to provide equal academic opportunities for all children and nutritional support is essential to academic success and wellness,” he said. “The Universal School Meal Program Act will improve the lives of our children and enable them to be better prepared to succeed! We thank Senator Gillibrand for her leadership and advocacy to provide a seamless and permanent solution for all children to this significant issue.”

Since 2018, Freeport Public Schools has provided all students a healthy breakfast and lunch at school at no charge each day of the school year through the Community Eligibility Program. With the Universal School Meals Act of 2021, Freeport is supporting a permanent, federal meal program providing nutritious meals to ensure all students nationwide can benefit from healthy meals year-round.
The bill introduced by Gillibrand and Sen. Bernie Sanders has been endorsed by several legislatures and more than 360 organizations. Along with Island Harvest, a key fresh food provider for Freeport Schools, Gillibrand spoke of the importance of the bill and providing meals for students in order to combat hunger.
“More than 12 million children in the United States lived in food insecure homes at the height of the pandemic. Through a combination of federal waivers, many schools for the first time were able to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students regardless of their income, but this is only a temporary program,” said she said. “The Universal School Meals Act of 2021 is a permanent solution to providing free meals nationwide to all students.”
Closing the press conference, students from the Caroline G. Atkinson School thanked Gillibrand for coming and presented her with a Freeport Public Schools baseball hat and T-shirt, which she proudly accepted. Following, she expressed to the students the importance of enjoying school and studying to find their passions.

This press release was produced by Freeport Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author's own.