May16,2019

DearHonorableMembersoftheMassachusettsJointCommitteeonEducation:

We,theundersignedclergyofdifferentfaithsinMassachusetts,arewritinginsupportofSenateBill267andHouseBill591,“AnActregardingBreakfastaftertheBell.”Ourfaithorganizationsallparticipateinhungerreliefeffortsbecausewefeelcalledto“feedthehungryandsatisfythoseinneed”(Isaiah58:10).IntheUnitedStates,40percentofthefoodweproduceiswasted,yetoneineightAmericansisfoodinsecure,includingfartoomanychildrenhereinMassachusetts.Childrenlivinginfoodinsecurehouseholdsareacademicallydisadvantagedandhaveanincreasedlikelihoodofphysicalandmentalhealthissues,includingbehavioraldisorders.

Thisproblemissolvable,andthereisastraightforward,federally-funded,andeffectiveresponsebeforeyoutoday.“AnActregardingBreakfastaftertheBell”wouldrequireallpublicK-12schoolsinMassachusettswith60percentormorestudentseligibleforfreeandreduced-pricemealstoofferbreakfastaftertheinstructionaldaybegins.Currently,breakfastisprovidedinMassachusettsschools,butitisofferedbeforethebellrings,oftenbeforebussesarrive.Inaddition,itisofferedinthecafeteria,wherestudentshavetosinglethemselvesouttogetbreakfast–thatisiftheyhavetimebeforetheschooldaystarts.InMassachusettsschoolswith60%ormorestudentsqualifyingforfreeandreduced-pricebreakfast,nearly300,000childrenqualifyforfreeorreduced-priceschoolmeals,butonlyabout150,000studentscurrentlyparticipateinbreakfastprograms.Thesolutionistouniversallyprovidebreakfastforeveryonewithoutstigmaafterthebellringswhenallstudentsarepresent.

BreakfastAftertheBelllegislationallowstheapproximately700Massachusettshigh-povertyschoolstoofferbreakfastafterthebellthroughadeliverymodelthatworksbestfortheirschools,staff,andstudents:breakfastintheclassroom,grab-and-go,orsecond-chancebreakfast.BreakfastAftertheBelllegislationhassuccessfullypassedinColorado,Illinois,Nevada,NewMexico,WestVirginia,andtheDistrictofColumbia.Priortothelegislation,Coloradoranked44thinthenationforschoolbreakfastparticipation.Today,itranks17th.Currently,Massachusettsranks33rdinthenation,unchangedfromlastyear.Wecan,andmust,dobetter.

Afederallyreimbursedprogram,theNationalSchoolBreakfastprogramhasthepotentialtoprovideupto$25millioninadditionalreimbursementsstatewidetoMassachusettsschooldistrictsthatincreaseparticipationratesto80percentandabove.Thesereimbursements,madedirectlytoschoolnutritiondepartments,supportjobsandhealthiermenuoptions,includinglocallysourcedfood.

Whilehousesoffaithcansupplementanti-hungereffortsinourcommunities,weneedasystematicapproachtoaddresschildhoodhunger.ClergyofmanyfaithssupporttheRiseandShineMassachusettscoalitioninurgingyoutosupportthiscriticalpieceoflegislationinthefighttoendchildhoodhungerinourstate.Achildwhoshowsuptoschoolinthemorning,nothavingeatensinceschoollunchthepreviousday,cannotbesuccessful.Allchildrendeservetostarttheirschooldayfedandreadytolearn.“Theworlditselfrestsonthespiritofschoolchildren”(Talmud,Shabbat119b).

Thankyou,

(signaturesonthefollowingpage)

RabbiJosephB.Meszler,TempleSinaiinSharon,RiseandShineMassachusettsCoalitionmemberRev.LoisK.Adams,FirstBaptistChurch,SharonFatherFrankDaly,SharonRabbiRonFish,SharonTheRev.Dr.JenniferPhillips,RectorSt.John’sEpiscopalChurch,WestwoodRev.FrancisBalla,HopeChurch,SharonElderPatrickTillerHopeChurch,SharonPastorDaveCapozzi,BrocktonCovenantChurchRabbiJulieZupan,SharonRabbiAmyGoodman,TempleSinaiinSharonRabbiRandyKafka,SharonInterfaithActionRev.CarolSteinbrecher,FirstCongregationalChurchofSharonRabbiNealGold,NatickRabbiDavidJaffe,KirvaInstituteRabbiKarenCitrin,TempleBethDavid,WestwoodRabbiMicahCitrin,TempleBethDavid,WestwoodRabbiGavrielGoldfeder,SharonRabbiArielBurger,SharonRabbiStephenArnold,HinghamRabbiRachelGurevitz,CongregationB’naiShalom,WestboroughRabbiTomAlpert,TempleEtzChaim,FranklinRabbiJodieGordon,SouthernBerkshireRabbiRiqiKosovske,BeithAhavahReformSynagogueofGreaterNorthHamptonRabbiDebbieZecher,SouthernBerkshireRabbiJulieWolkoff,WelleslyRabbiAllisonBerry,TempleShalomofNewtonRabbiRobinSparr,TempleEmanueloftheMerrimackValleyRabbiLauraAbrasley,TempleShalomofNewtonRabbiJoelBaron,BostonRabbiRachelSilverman,TempleIsraelinSharonRabbiJoshuaBreindel,CongregationBethEloftheSudburyRiverValleyRabbiAudreyMarcusBerkman,TempleOhabeiShalom,BrooklineAaronAgulnek,DirectorofGovernmentAffairs,JewishCommunityRelationsCouncil(JCRC)RabbiSerenaFujita,SomervilleRabbiKennethCarr,EastonRabbiHowardJaffe,LexingtonRabbiJenniferGubitz,TempleIsraelofBostonRabbiEricGurvis,NewtonRabbiRonneFriedman,TempleIsraelofBostonRabbiAndyVogel,BrooklineRabbiDavidJ.Meyer,TempleEmanu-El,MarbleheadPastorJamesBixby,CliftonLutheranChurch,MarbleheadTheRev.Dr.DennisB.Calhoun,MarbleheadRev.SusanMorrison,ArlingtonMinisterSallyA.Schreiber-Cohn,UinversalWorshipoftheInayatiOrder,MarbleheadRev.WendyL.Bell,InterimMinister,UnitarianChurchofSharonRev.DevlinScottofNewCityChurch,Newton,MA