MMFA Gets Funding Boost as General Assembly Passes State Budget
A funding increase for Maryland Meals for Achievement, a state program that supports breakfast in the classroom, was included in the state budget passed by the General Assembly this week. This 20 percent increase in funding for MMFA (an additional $560,000) will enable 46 more eligible schools to participate and provide in-classroom breakfast to 20,000 more children, according to the Maryland State Department of Education.
Maryland Hunger Solutions would like to thank Governor Martin O’Malley for including this increase in his FY2013 budget proposal, leaders in the General Assembly who championed the MMFA program, and all those in Maryland – both organizations and individuals – who advocated in Annapolis to ensure that more Maryland children will benefit from school breakfast and start the day ready to learn.
“This funding is going to make a big difference to low-income children. By helping more schools receive the resources needed to provide free school breakfast to all of their students, more children will start the day with a healthy morning meal. That’s good news for their education and for their health,” said Maryland Hunger Solutions Director Cathy Demeroto. “Maryland Hunger Solutions is looking forward to continued work with the Maryland State Department of Education, the Governor’s Partnership to End Childhood Hunger, and schools to help them implement breakfast in the classroom programs.”
To learn more about the benefits of MMFA and to see school breakfast participation in your county, read Maryland Hunger Solutions’ latest report (pdf).
