LETTERS: Lawmakers should ensure children can access healthy meals

Editor: School meals are important to well-being, health and educational support for children. Ensuring all children eat a healthy breakfast and lunch each day can dramatically alleviate hunger and support students’ health and academic achievement. Right now, Colorado lawmakers are deciding whether to provide one year of funding for meals for all Colorado students who need them during the next school year.

As we get ready to mark Día del Niño or children’s day, it seems especially critical to do all we can to not just celebrate children, but to promote their well-being. All children have a right to food that will nourish their growth, development and academic learning, but right now 1 in 3 Colorado children are facing food insecurity – a lack of adequate and nutritious food.

We need our elected officials to take action to help ensure that every child in our state has enough to eat. Senate Bill 22-087 is an important step towards meeting that goal. This bill ensures children across our state can access nutritious meals at school by providing one-time funding for free, healthy meals in the next school year.

Join me in celebrating Día del Niño and honoring the children in your lives by calling on state lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 22-087.

— Karla Gonzales Garcia, via letters@sentinelcolorado.com