Oregon is not immune to the national hunger crisis. Since 2023, food pantries across the state have seen a 50% increase in visitation, and with the proposed SNAP cuts, more than 342,500 Oregonians are expected to lose $475 million in food assistance per biennium.

Even with food assistance in schools, one in six kids in Oregon live in a family that struggles to afford food. That’s why legislation like SB 1581 – School Meals for All – is crucial for ensuring that every student has access to breakfast and lunch.

Currently, nine states already provide universal school lunches, and Oregon is just 21 schools away from reaching that goal. This goal would be feasible and have impactful results for all Oregon students.

Advocates for this bill note that it would reduce child hunger, improve educational achievements and increase attendance. They note the likelihood of fewer overall suspensions, eliminating school meal debt and the process to collect it.

In an interview with Senator Courtney Neron Misslin (SD-13), the chief sponsor of this bill, she expanded on the social stigma that exists for students who qualify for free or reduced school lunches.

“I find it to be unacceptable that we have determined where it is and is not okay to support students facing food insecurity,” Sen. Neron Misslin said. “The data shows us that we feed students who qualify for free and reduced lunch at a higher rate when all students have access to that meal – the stigma prevents students who qualify from pursuing that nutritious meal.”

Twenty-one schools in Oregon still require additional income documentation for school meals, which adds stigma. In addition, Sen. Neron Misslin noted that many immigrant families are hesitant to complete forms because of the paper trail associated with citizenship status.

“When you have different access to meals then you haven’t broken bread across socioeconomic lines – during COVID, we saw students (at Lincoln High School) were staying on campus and eating lunch together, and forming a stronger social fabric in that school,” Sen. Neron Misslin said.

During the pandemic, Congress authorized a nationwide waiver that allowed schools to offer meals without charging or requesting proof of income. But in the fall of 2022, programs resumed to an application-based system and saw an increase in meal debt among students.

“We know that it’s more difficult to learn on an empty stomach,” Sen. Neron Misslin said.

“We don’t ask anyone to pay for public school, we don’t ask anyone to pay tuition or for buses,” senior manager of public policy at the Oregon Food Bank Matt Newell-Ching said. “But we ask people to pay for lunch and breakfast, and that singles people out and creates an atmosphere in school that makes kids who receive (free) lunches and breakfasts really feel the stigma.”

Newell-Ching also said that when schools switched from a traditional application model to a universal model, they saw a 50% increase in the number of kids participating in free or reduced-price lunch. The stigma associated with free or reduced-price lunch is preventing students from accessing meals, and once that barrier is lifted for all students, more students feel comfortable participating.

“We often say that hunger is a policy choice, and that we continue to allow hunger as a policy choice, and we continue to allow schools to not offer this universal model, as a policy choice,” Newell-Ching said. “We’re hoping that the legislature chooses to act, because it’s within our grasp.”