MORE DEMOCRAT HANDOUTS: California offers free school lunch for ALL students, REGARDLESS of income

Governor of California Gavin Newsome instituted the Universal School Meals Program that offers public school students in the state free lunch.

According to Business Insider, $54 million was invested into the Universal School Meals Program to give 6.2 million public school students the opportunity of free lunch regardless of income for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. An additional $650 million was invested in the program to offer free breakfast and lunch for every student for 2022-2023. 

“Focusing on student mental health and wellness and critical supports like universal school meals and community schools that provide wraparound programs for families will be essential for facilitating a safe return to in-person learning for the students who have suffered so much during the pandemic,” California State Superintendent of Public Instruction said in a statement. 

Before the free lunch initiative, families had to make less than $34,000 a year to qualify for free meals and $48,000 in order to qualify for reduced-price meals, according to PBS. Republicans from the Senate Education Committee supported this program as a way to aid families with the high cost of living in California.