Solving Hunger Announces Four Campaign Wins In School Meals Expansion Efforts As Momentum Grows For Universal School Meals Across the Nation

Malaysian Reserve

21-07-2025

NEW YORK, July 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Solving Hunger, a project of Tusk Philanthropies, today announced the results of its 2025 campaigns. Solving Hunger won campaigns in Arkansas, Delaware, North Dakota, and New York.
Working with statewide organizations and providing advocacy, lobbying and communications tools, Solving Hunger helped secure $117 million in new state funding to provide an additional 164.7 million meals every year, starting in the fall, to 600,000 children who do not currently have access to meals.
This year's results represent the strong momentum towards school meal funding across the nation, with 2026 poised to be an important year as states prepare to adjust to dramatic changes in federal nutrition policy and funding, which will be fully implemented by January 2027.
School meals programs were left largely untouched by the new 2025 tax act. The School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program – in partnership with states — could prove to be a lifeline for families and communities facing deep nutrition and health care cuts.
'There are hungry kids everywhere and a growing realization that feeding kids nutritious meals at school is a great investment for schools, families, and communities', said Bradley Tusk, the Founder of Tusk Philanthropies.'There is tremendous momentum for school meals in 2026. Just in the last four year, nine states have enacted universal school meals, three states have enacted universal school breakfast, and dozens of states have significantly expanded access to school meals. We hope more governors and legislators will take notice and follow suit. No child in America should go hungry.'
In 2025, Solving Hunger partnered with grantees to help run campaigns on the ground in the following jurisdictions:
Solving Hunger partnered with Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance on a successful campaign to fund universal free breakfast for all 475,000 K-12 Arkansas students. At a cost of $14.7 million, Arkansas will provide access to 42 million meals for an additional 237,000 students who previously did not have automatic access. Arkansas will become the second state in the nation to offer universal breakfast in the fall, and the first southern, GOP-led state, to offer a universal meal program.
Tusk said: 'Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders committed to helping kids, and she has done it. While other governors, including some in Democratic-led states, pay lip service to feeding children, Governor Huckabee Sanders and the Republican legislature has followed through, year over year, to expand access to meals for kids. As a society, this is the most basic function we should provide – feeding our children – but only a few, true leaders really mean it.'
Solving Hunger worked on a successful campaign to fund universal free breakfast for all 141,000 K-12 Delaware students. This means access to 13 million meals for an additional 77,000 students who previously did not have automatic access. Delaware will become the third state to offer this universal program, after Arkansas and Pennsylvania.
Tusk said: 'Democrats Rep. Kim Williams and Sen. Jack Walsh guided their colleagues in approving a universal breakfast program that got strong bipartisan support in the legislature. Instead of spending over $3 million annually for ten years on a lease for a government building for Delaware's Department of Justice – a space that the Department didn't want – Delaware will make sure that every kid has a good breakfast at school.'
Solving Hunger worked on a successful campaign in North Dakota to increase school meals to K-12 children living in households at 225% of the federal poverty level. This represents 1.2 additional meals for 3,300 students living in households whose income does not exceed $72,338 in the 2025-26 school year.
Tusk said: 'North Dakota is in a strong financial position, and twice in the last two legislative sessions, Republicans have wisely chosen to spend precious taxpayer dollars on our most precious assets – our kids. In 2023, they raised the eligibility for meals to 200% of the federal poverty level, and they've taken another step this year to 225%.'
Solving Hunger worked with the New York state coalition in 2023 to get over 80% of New York kids fed in school. This year, they worked independently to help achieve universal school meals for all 2.7 million New York K-12 school children. This year's final effort means an additional 108 million meals will be available to an additional 300,000 kids at a cost of $160 million.
Tusk said: 'I'm proud of our state. Governor Hochul showed real leadership in advocating for this in her budget. Legislative leaders, who have moved in recent years toward universal school meals, were finally able to get it done, and New York will be better for it.'
Solving Hunger also led a campaign in Ohio, with the support of Gov. Mike DeWine, to expand free meals to kids who already qualify for them, but who aren't receiving them. Despite the popularity of expanded school meals in Ohio, House Speaker Matt Huffman refused to allow meals to be expanded in the state, even to schools and districts who would have received them for free from the federal government.
Solving Hunger also assisted in a campaign in Oregon for universal school meals that would have made it the tenth state to expand free meals to all students. Despite support in the Governor Tina Kotek's budget, overwhelming support among voters who saw it as their top spending priority, and unanimous support in committee votes in the legislature, Joint Ways and Mean Chairwomen Senator Kate Lieber and Representative Tawna Sanchez refused to bring the measure up for a final vote, and the legislature adjourned without considering the measure.
Solving Hunger will announce its 2026 grantees in October.
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