Presidential Documents

53695

Federal Register

Vol. 62, No. 199

Wednesday, October 15, 1997

Title 3—

The President

Proclamation 7038 of October 10, 1997

National School Lunch Week, 1997

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Each year during the month of October, we set aside a week to focus

on the importance of the National School Lunch Program and its contributions to the health and well-being of America’s schoolchildren. Through

this program, established more than 50 years ago by President Truman,

young people learn firsthand about healthful dietary habits and how to

make wise choices regarding the foods they eat. And for millions of children,

many of whom come from families in need, their school lunch is the

most nutritious meal they will eat during the day.

When President Kennedy proclaimed the first National School Lunch Week

in 1963, some 68,000 schools were serving lunches to 16 million children

each day. Today, the program is available in more than 94,000 schools

across the country, and 26 million students participate daily. This dramatic

growth proves that the program continues to meet a significant need in

local communities across the Nation, and its success admirably reflects

the hard work and commitment of school food-service professionals, as

well as the support and technical assistance provided by State administrators.

The National School Lunch Program also reflects our profound concern

for the well-being of our young people. By providing them with wholesome,

nutritious meals day in and day out, we are helping to improve our children’s

overall health, increase their learning capacity, lengthen their attention span,

and promote healthful dietary habits that will serve them well for a lifetime.

All of these accomplishments are made possible by the many dedicated

food-service professionals, administrators, educators, parents, business and

community leaders, and other concerned individuals at the local, State,

and Federal levels who work in partnership to ensure the effectiveness

of the National School Lunch Program. We must strive to build on their

achievements so that this vital program will continue to meet the needs

of America’s children into the next century.

In recognition of the contributions of the National School Lunch Program

to the nutritional well-being of children, the Congress by joint resolution

of October 9, 1962 (Public Law No. 87-780), has designated the week beginning the second Sunday in October of each year as ‘‘National School Lunch

Week’’ and has requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance

of that week.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States

of America, do hereby proclaim October 12 through October 18, 1997, as

National School Lunch Week. I call upon all Americans to recognize those

individuals whose efforts contribute to the success of this program and

to observe this week with appropriate programs and activities.
53696 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 199 / Wednesday, October 15, 1997 / Presidential Documents

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of

October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and

of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred

[FR Doc. 97–27540

Filed 10–14–97; 8:45 am]

Billing code 3195–01–P

and twenty-second.

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