Caucus Chair Asks $25 Million More For Public School Lunch Programs

Jet, Oct 22, 2001

Aware of the need for better health provisions for minority youngsters, the chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus launched an effort in the nation's capital to fund child nutrition programs by an additional $25 million.

Warning that research shows that there is a link between nutrition and the ability of children to concentrate, Texas Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson said that the additional monies are needed to provide commodities for the national school lunch and breakfast programs.

The National School Lunch Program serves more than 27 million children every day, slightly over half of children who live at or near the poverty level in this country.

Offering an amendment to add funding to the program, Rep. Johnson said that she believed that school lunch programs promote the well-being of the nation's most vulnerable children by providing them with nourishment they need to develop healthy bodies and minds.

Said Rep. Johnson, "Funding for school nutrition programs will ensure that students can stay attentive in the classroom and focus on learning instead of hunger."