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New York Senate reaffirms School Breakfast Week resolution; lawmakers call for expanded access
Summary
The State Senate adopted a resolution memorializing the governor to proclaim March 2025 as School Breakfast Week and several senators urged expanding access and local sourcing for school meals.
The New York State Senate adopted a resolution by Senator Persaud memorializing the governor to proclaim March 2025 as School Breakfast Week and speakers used floor time to urge expanded access to free school breakfasts and locally sourced meals.
Senator Persaud said 19 percent of children in New York are food insecure and stressed the importance of making breakfast part of the school day at no cost to families. "Every child deserves to start their day with a nutritious breakfast," Persaud said. He cited program figures: "In 2024, more than 52,000,000 breakfast meals were served in New York State, reaching more than 87,876,000 students, with more than 1,200 schools participating in New York State's breakfast program," he said.
The resolution, read on the Senate floor as Resolution 3 91, was introduced to draw attention to child food insecurity and to support efforts to expand school meal access. Senator Bailey thanked Persaud and said providing breakfast gives children the “fuel” to learn. "How can you expect a child to learn optimally if we don't give them the fuel that they need," Bailey said.
Senator Hinchey emphasized the role of locally sourced food, noting New York's agriculture sector and the Farm to School program: "It's incumbent upon us to make sure that the food that our students are getting in their schools is locally sourced healthy food," Hinchey said. Senator Murray recalled personal experience with free and reduced-price meals and said stigma can affect participation; she said she "proudly vote[s] aye." Senator O'Barack also spoke in support and voted aye.
The resolution had previously been adopted on Feb. 25 and the Senate opened it for cosponsorship on the floor; Persaud asked the chamber to welcome Rachel Sabella, identified on the floor as director of No Kid Hungry (New York), who was present for the observance.
The measure is ceremonial (memorializing the governor) and does not itself appropriate funding. Senators used the floor remarks to press for continuing and expanding universal meal programs and to highlight the role of farm-to-school procurement in those efforts.
