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Advocacy Profile

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Lawmakers need to hear which policies are a priority for their constituents. Together, we’ll advocate that every child in every school experiences the joy and power of food.

First, tell us your name.

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Next, please share your contact information. Your mailing state and zipcode help identify which state and federal officials represent you.

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Please tell us what kind of advocacy you’re interested in:*

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Attending lobby days or advocacy events

Advocacy trainings

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e.g., contacting your elected officials

Sharing my story and expertise

with FoodCorps or the media

Joining a local coalition

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Tell us more about you. Do you have personal or lived experience with any of the following?

Free or reduced-price school meals

Farm to school / local procurement for school meals e.g., contacting your elected officials

Difficulty accessing sufficient nutritious food

Federal nutrition assistance programs

i.e., SNAP/WIC

FoodCorps programming

Parent or legal guardian of a student 

School nutrition professional / school food service staff

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Are you interested in being a media spokesperson?

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Engagement with media is an essential tool for advocacy efforts. If you're interested in being a media spokesperson on behalf of FoodCorps, sharing your personal story, developing your public speaking skills, or engaging with the press, please share a few sentences about yourself, how you became familiar with FoodCorps, what issues you care about, and how your experiences inform your advocacy (e.g., lived experiences with school meals, food education, hunger, SNAP/WIC, etc).

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Pending legislation

Illinois

Policy Snapshot

Pending or Introduced School Meals for All Legislation

Healthy School Meals for All enacted; funding pending

53.7

of students have access to free school breakfast and lunch.

Policy Landscape and Our Work

In 2023, Illinois enacted Healthy School Meals for All, authorizing participating schools to provide breakfast and lunch at no cost to all students. However, the program is subject to state appropriations and has not received sufficient funding for statewide implementation.

Senate Bill 1419 would appropriate $67 million to the Illinois State Board of Education to support implementation of the program. FoodCorps supports fully funding Healthy School Meals for All so every Illinois student can access school breakfast and lunch at no cost.

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The back of a student sitting at a lunch table with a tray of food

Contact Your Senators

Tell your Senators to extend School Meals for All

Dig Deeper

Bill Status of HB2471

103rd General Assembly

February 12, 2024

Illinois rallies for budget appropriation to enable healthy school meals for all

KHQA | Mackenzie LaPorte

Healthy School Meals for All Kids

Illinois Healthy School Meals for All Kids

Legislative & Advocacy Resources

Legislative profile: Governor
General Assembly

Have feedback or recommendations for this page? Email us at advocacy@foodcorps.org.

FoodCorps is a non-partisan, non-profit organization. No federal funds were used to prepare or distribute advocacy content.

Last updated August 6, 2026