Show your support for SNA by using the resources below to participate in our “Membership Starts with Me #ISupportSNA” campaign.
Introducing the NSLW26: Cafeteria Circus logos and graphic elements, inspired by the excitement and energy of the big top. Available in English and Spanish, with multiple variations for all your promotional needs.
Use the presentation below to share SNA’s membership benefits as a recruitment tool.
Download the official School Lunch Hero Day artwork by Jarrett J. Krosoczka and add creative flair to your celebrations, promotions, and thank-you materials.
For less than $4.70 per meal, school nutrition programs must stretch funding to cover not only food, but also labor, equipment, utilities, training, and essential services. School meals are not just food—they represent a comprehensive system that supports student health and learning.
Research shows students eat their healthiest meals at school—meals that fuel academic success and support America’s working families. We urge Congress to address the financial challenges threatening the sustainability of school meal programs in our communities and across the nation.
While school nutrition programs are making significant strides in offering healthier meals, they are severely constrained by insufficient funding, which limits their ability to expand scratch cooking, provide more fresh, local produce, and meet increasing financial pressures from rising food, labor, and equipment costs.
Despite the progress in increasing whole foods and reducing ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in school meals, the expansion of scratch cooking and the adoption of new federal nutrition standards face significant barriers, such as inadequate funding, staffing, equipment, and time for proper implementation.
However, efforts to protect and expand access to healthy school meals for all students face significant challenges due to potential changes in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid under HR 1, which could undermine the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and reduce the number of students automatically certified for free and reduced-price meals.
SNA’s 2026 Position Paper calls on Congress to address long-term economic and regulatory challenges for school meal programs.