Stabenow rolls out free summer meal expansion for Michigan kids

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) addresses children about free summer meals at Waverly East School in Lansing on June 26, 2024. | Lucy Valeski

Elementary school children enjoyed breakfast foods, snacks and milk at Waverly East School in Lansing Wednesday morning as leaders announced a program that will bring free breakfast and lunch to kids around the state — even when school is out for the summer. 

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing), chair of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, led an initiative to pour federal funds into expanding food access during the summer for children. While some children have had access to free food during the school year, this program will make summer meals permanent. 

“We have this great opportunity for breakfast and lunch and in many cases, for snacks in school,” Stabenow said. “But then we get to the summer, and what we have seen is far less funding available, fewer flexibilities and support for summer meals.”

According to Food Bank Council of Michigan Executive Director Phil Knight, Michigan is the first state to implement the program, which is modeled similarly after COVID-19 food benefits. 

Other states are also expected to implement their share of federal funds, but several Republican governors rejected the aid. 

“Feeding children should not be a partisan issue,” State Superintendent Michael Rice said.

Stabenow predicted the program will feed 900,000 children in Michigan this summer. The new, permanent funding breaks up into three different categories, so families in different situations have flexibility to get food.

“We’ve had meals on site for a long time, although you basically have to fight for money every year,” Stabenow said. “Every year we have to fight to get summer meals, so now this is permanent.”

The first is a “traditional summer meals” program, which serves children meals at a specific location and does not require an application. Another program offers “meals-to-go,” which are available in more rural areas. Families can pick up multiple meals at a time or get food delivered. 

“We have set up all these flexibilities so that there’s more opportunities to pick up food,” Stabenow said. 

The final option is for kids who attend a school that participates in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Program and receives free or reduced-price lunch or if the child is on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Medicaid. 

“We’re helping people where they are, not where we wish they were. And we understand that this is not just an expense; it’s also an investment,” Knight said.

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