Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) today announced that it has awarded more than $900,000 in grant funding to 31 local education agencies (LEA) across the Commonwealth to purchase new food service equipment for cafeterias.
“Pennsylvania students need access to healthy and nutritious meals to fuel their learning, grow, and thrive—both in and out of the classroom,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “The Food Service Equipment grant enables schools to have high-functioning equipment and well-equipped cafeterias so that they may better serve hungry minds and bellies each and every day.”
The list of schools receiving Food Service Equipment grants can be found on PDE’s website.
Funding for the grants is made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Grants are awarded to schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program. Schools use the grants to purchase or upgrade equipment such as refrigerators, freezers, stoves, and dishwashers.
Healthy meals are an essential component to learning and growing. Every day, more than one million children and students receive nutritious meals through Federal School Nutrition Programs, which include the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Summer Food Service Program.
The Shapiro Administration and PDE are committed to ensuring that all children and students have access to healthy meals so they can start the day with a fully belly, ready to learn. That’s why Governor Josh Shapiro delivered free breakfast for Pennsylvania’s 1.7 million students last year. During the 2023-24 school year, participation in free breakfast and free or reduced-priced lunch has increased by approximately 27%. The 2024-25 budget builds on that progress with a $16.7 million increase to continue the universal free breakfast program, making sure students have access to healthy meals to start their day on the right foot, and making sure no kid goes hungry during the summer by funding the summer food service program.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Education, visit the website or follow PDE on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Pinterest.
MEDIA CONTACT: Taj Magruder, tmagruder@pa.gov
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