Sen. Jay Chaudhuri (D-Wake) joined advocates to talk about school meal funding. (Photo: Ahmed Jallow/NC Newsline)
North Carolina state and local leaders gathered Monday at Oak Grove Elementary School in Raleigh to call on the General Assembly to fund the state’s Farm to School program, warning that federal cuts could threaten student nutrition and local farmers.
The event, held during National School Lunch Week and Farm to School Month, featured state Sen. Jay Chaudhuri (D-Wake) and other speakers, including Wake County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Taylor.
Chaudhuri called on the General Assembly to provide $2.5 million for the Farm to School program and $1.9 million for the Sun Bucks summer food program to replace part of the $12.5 million eliminated by the Trump administration.
“We legislators in North Carolina must decide how we are going to respond and what we are going to prioritize, and I can’t think of any more deserving of our support than putting fresh North Carolina-grown foods on the plates of North Carolina students,” said Chaudhuri.
The Farm to School program, run by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Public Instruction, connects more than 80 school districts with local farmers, delivering over 75,000 cases of North Carolina-grown fruits and vegetables each year.
Wake County Public Schools is one of many districts benefiting from the program. Superintendent Taylor said the requested funding would not only expand healthy meals for students but also ease the financial strain on families.
“When we have these kinds of programs that can relieve that amount of pressure on the family budget,” Taylor said, “it is a very small investment that will impact economic development.”
Taylor said the program has expanded from 12 to 41 schools that are taking part in the Community Eligibility Program, which provides free meals to students. “A 10 percent reduction in federal funding could wipe out meal programs in 33 schools,” he warned.
The Farm to School program was also intended to benefit local farmers by giving them a reliable market for their produce.
“What makes our Farm to School program so unique is that 100% of every dollar we spend goes towards supporting the schools, the farms, and the communities,” said Tommy Wheeler, founder of Tidewater Grain Company in Pamlico County.
“It’s much of an economic development program as it is an assistance program for our kids and our future youth,” added Wheeler, who sells his rice to school districts including Wake County Public School System.
According to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, one in six children in the state faces food insecurity, about 394,000 children statewide.
Rachel Candaso, the 2025 NC Teacher of the Year, is an educator in Pitt County. She said she sees the impact of school nutrition programs firsthand in her classroom. “We know that a hungry student can’t focus on equations or essays when they’re hungry for food. The fresh, healthy food that we provide students at school, it helps them be ready to learn,” said Candaso.
Chaudhuri said he anticipates bipartisan support, describing the request as “narrow and reasonable,” and centered on helping children and strengthening local economies.
“I’m trying to stay optimistic that the leadership in both chambers will see the benefit of doing so,” Chaudhuri said.
Although the funding is contained in the House budget, the Senate’s spending plan does not include the money. The state is still operating without a final budget, three months after the fiscal year started.
Hence then, the article about federal cuts threaten nc school lunches local farmers advocates say was published today ( ) and is available on NC news line ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Federal cuts threaten NC school lunches, local farmers, advocates say )
Also on site :
- WWE RAW Results & Winners (October 13, 2025): The Vision backstab Seth Rollins; CM Punk wins triple-threat match; Asuka flatlines Rhea Ripley & more
- From Vision to Readiness: Vertiv Collaborates with NVIDIA to Advance 800 VDC Platform Designs to Power the Next Generation of AI Factories
- Starbucks' Limited-Time Holiday Drink Has Fans Begging for It to Come to U.S.: 'We Need This'