By Sierra Marling, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Nearly 183,000 students across 468 West Virginia schools could lose access to free lunch if Congress approves a cut to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision program, according to data from The Food Research & Action Center and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
In January, U.S. House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, proposed $12 billion in cuts to school breakfast and lunch programs. This coincides with the Trump administration’s termination of the $660 million Local Food for Schools program, which helped schools procure locally grown produce.
While the House Ways and Means Committee estimates this policy shift would cut federal school meal costs by an estimated $9 billion over a decade, it could hit the Mountain State hard.
Feeding America, the largest charity working to end hunger in the U.S., reports that one in five West Virginia children face hunger. In addition, the state’s child poverty rate remains among the highest in the nation.
