Project Bread aims to connect individuals and communities in Massachusetts with reliable food sources and advocate for policies that increase food accessibility, ensuring that no one goes hungry. They envision a future where hunger is permanently solved in Massachusetts.
The grant focuses on starting or expanding school breakfast programs to support Massachusetts households with children facing food insecurity. With about one in every four such households under the constant threat of hunger, federal nutrition programs act as a crucial safety net. The grant aims to bridge the gap left by food insecurity, providing nutritious meals at low or no cost to low-income students through the National School Breakfast Program (NSBP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Project Bread emphasizes the importance of accessible school breakfast programs as a means to ensure students, regardless of family income level, can start their day with a nutritious meal, leading to better learning retention, behavior, and health outcomes. The initiative seeks to expand access to these breakfast programs across the state, targeting the over 400,000 students eligible for free and reduced-price meals, of whom only around 40% received breakfast at school before the pandemic.