Valley Bounty: Kitchen Garden Farm nurtures expansion, collaboration gazettenet.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gazettenet.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Extension of federal school lunch program good policy (Editorial)
Updated 10:53 AM;
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced the extension of the universal free lunch program through the 2021-22 school year. The program was to expire in September. An estimated 12 million youths experience food insecurity. The program, implemented at the beginning of the pandemic, will fill a strong need as millions of families are experiencing financial difficulties and hardship.
The child nutrition waivers cover all students, allowing families and school systems to cut through the red tape of determining who is eligible. For many families school lunches and meal programs are the only real nutritional food source for children. Announcing the extension early will assist school districts to get a jump start on planning and budgeting for the coming year.
Massachusetts House lawmakers tacked another estimated $52 million to its fiscal 2022 budget proposal this week, including more than $2 million for Western Massachusetts services, programs and events. The earmarks range from an economic development program in Springfield to funds for mental health services, tourism and theater programs, adding onto millions of dollars in investments allocated .
House proposes additional funding for jobs, mental health, veterans assistance in Western Massachusetts under budget plan masslive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from masslive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
House proposes additional funding for jobs, mental health, veterans assistance in Western Massachusetts under budget plan msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.