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Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill into law on Tuesday, Jan. 16, expanding the eligibility for free meals to more than 60,000 additional families.
According to the Working Class Families Anti-Hunger Act, public and non-public schools in the National School Lunch Program or federal School Breakfast Program will provide meals to students in households with an income of up to 224 percent of the federal poverty level.
The bill signing comes after Gov. Murphy renewed his push for free school meals among other measures to provide economic relief to families during his State of the State address on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
"Access to nutritious food is a basic necessity for our kids," Gov. Murphy said in a news release announcing the new law. "We have made great strides in our fight against food insecurity, working together with those on the front lines to ensure our most vulnerable community members have access to a warm meal and empowering our schools to meet the needs of their students."
Food charity organizations praised the expansion of free school lunches across New Jersey.
“More than 175,000 children in New Jersey are food insecure," said Elizabeth McCarthy, president and CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ).
"We at CFBNJ commend Governor Murphy, Speaker Coughlin, and the whole state legislature for this recent expansion of eligibility criteria for free school meals. This is a huge help for so many working families who are struggling to make ends meet."
Democratic Assemblywoman Shama Haider of Englewood said nearly 200,000 students suffered from food insecurity in 2019.
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