2020 presidential hopeful Julián Castro unveiled his People First Plan to End Hunger in America on Wednesday, Nov. 27. The sweeping plan seeks to combat hunger by minimizing food deserts, expanding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and giving free school breakfast and lunch to all public school students. “Everyone counts in this country, and it’s about time our public policies reflected that fundamental truth,” Castro states in the plan’s introduction.
A lovely sentiment. What would it look like in detail? Castro’s comprehensive plan first goes back to the Obama administration. The former secretary of housing and urban development wants to reinstate previous standards for school meals set by the Obama administration, which the Trump administration rolled back. In addition to making school meals more nutritious, Castro wants school lunch to be free for every single student, no paperwork required. This change alone would have an enormous impact on families.
For families who receive SNAP funding, Castro hopes to increase the assistance by at least $60 per child per month during summer months. The goal is for the additional funds to help compensate for the free meals students wouldn’t be receiving while school is out of session.
Castro wants SNAP recipients to be able to shop for food online and access grocery delivery services. This would be a game changer for people who live in food deserts, as well as for people who live with disabilities, don’t have their own vehicle, or experience other issues that making getting to the grocery store difficult.
Castro also wants to eliminate current restrictions on prepared and hot food purchases. For example, if you want to grab a fast lunch from the hot bar of a supermarket today, you can’t use SNAP to pay for it. This restriction is extra tough on low-income workers who may have limited lunch breaks or little time to prepare meals at home. The relief of a quick hot meal can’t be overstated.
As noted in the plan, Castro wants to get rid of work-reporting requirements. This would make it easier for veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, and people who are temporarily unemployed to access SNAP benefits. Castro also wants to strengthen the Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC), which provides support specifically to parents who have newborns.
Daily Kos has noted numerous examples of school lunch shaming. Whether it’s schools throwing away hot lunches over school lunch debt, kids being told they could only have tuna sandwiches, or parents being threatened with having their children sent to foster care, people who carry overdue balances for food at school repeatedly suffer judgment and punishment. Studies confirm that students perform better in school when they’re fed. And even if nutrition had no impact on performance in school, feeding hungry children is still the right thing to do.
“I still vividly remember my mom’s panic when her hair started falling out due to the stress of putting food on the table,” Castro shares in his Medium post introducing his plan. While sharing personal stories helps build trust and communicate sincerity, food poverty is still a taboo subject. Castro’s openness to sharing his family’s history with food insecurity works to shatter a deep-rooted stigma.
Castro tweeted about his plan today, noting that its release during Thanksgiving week is intentional.
xDuring Thanksgiving week, let’s remember that millions of Americans don't have enough food to eat.That’s why today I’m sharing my plan to end hunger in America.✅ Universal School Meals✅ Stronger Federal Nutrition Programs✅ A Just Food Systemhttps://t.co/AKZ9dzZOer
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) November 27, 2019
Learn more about Castro in our Making Progress interview.
x xYouTube Video