Editorial: School breakfast will help hunger, but lunch would be better

It is unthinkable that 12.5% of households with children deal with hunger.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released those numbers last week. Single women with children struggle the most. Although households at or below the poverty level deal with hunger the most, they aren’t alone.

Feeding America says 18.1% of Pennsylvania households with food insecurity don’t qualify for programs because they exceed income thresholds. In Allegheny County, that figure rises to 31%. In Westmoreland County, it’s 35%.

It is unsurprising, as so many Americans are coping with increased inflation and higher prices because of supply chain issues. Inflation can hit all retail areas, but the grocery store is where it seems to hurt most because that’s a purchase that can’t be delayed like new shoes or bath towels. Kids need to eat every day.

Since the pandemic, federal funding paid for school lunches for all students — not just those who met the guidelines for free or reduced lunch. That ended as kids came back to school in August, meaning families either have to pay for the food to pack a lunchbox or fill their children’s lunch accounts at school.

Few schools are like Highlands School District, where all school meals are free. Most are like Hempfield Area, where breakfast is $1.75 and lunches are $2.85 for elementary and $3.10 for secondary.

But that will change Oct. 1. Gov. Tom Wolf announced last week that breakfast will be covered for all students by the state due to savings in the School Food Services General Fund because of the federal money over the last two years.

“Now that the federal program has ended, this funding, $21.5 million, can cover one school year of school breakfasts for all Pennsylvania students,” press secretary Elizabeth Rementer said. “To provide lunch would cost an additional $240 million, which is well beyond the funding available right now in that specific appropriation.”

This will help. It will not help as much as the lunch program, because more students take advantage of that. But Crystal FitzSimons, director of school programs for the Food Research and Action Center, said research shows that school breakfast programs improve behavior and attendance as well as test scores. Many schools will provide free breakfast during standardized test weeks for just that reason.

But the real difference in the monetary math is just that fewer children eat school breakfast — some because of transportation logistics and timing and some because of the stigma. Fitz­Simons said universal free programs counter that.

“Historically, participation has reached just over half of kids eligible compared to lunch, so breakfast participation, by making more broadly available, you’ll see more kids experiencing the benefit,” she said.

The relatively small price tag in relation to the lunch cost makes the breakfast program a smart move for the state as far as addressing hunger, education and money. But as kids continue to struggle with hunger, the state should find a way to address lunch — whether that is universal or simply by expanding eligibility for free and reduced programs.