[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 201 (Thursday, October 17, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 83601-83602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-24139]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 201 / Thursday, October 17, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 83601]]

                Proclamation 10837 of October 11, 2024

                
National School Lunch Week, 2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                America's children deserve every opportunity to live 
                fulfilling and healthy lives, and nutritious meals are 
                key components in building those lives. During National 
                School Lunch Week, we reaffirm that the health and 
                well-being of our Nation's children are a national 
                priority. We recommit to doing everything we can to end 
                child hunger. And we celebrate school nutrition 
                professionals, who do the critical work of planning, 
                preparing, and serving nutritious school meals to more 
                than 30 million students each day.

                Healthy school lunches benefit our Nation's students 
                and their families. Fueled by a good lunch, students 
                can better focus in the classroom and be set up for 
                success throughout the rest of their day. Free and 
                reduced-price school meals provide families with some 
                breathing room. And for families that live in areas 
                where there are no grocery stores with healthy food 
                options nearby, school meals can be a lifeline--
                offering children reliable, nutritious meals.

                My Administration is committed to putting a healthy 
                school lunch within reach of all our Nation's children, 
                no matter their family's income. That is why we are 
                giving more schools the option to make free school 
                meals available to every student, and we published a 
                final rule updating nutrition standards for school 
                meals to improve children's health. For the first time 
                since 1975, we modernized the Thrifty Food Plan, making 
                a healthy diet more affordable for the millions of 
                families with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 
                benefits. These actions are a part of our national 
                strategy to end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases 
                by 2030. That plan includes the goal of expanding 
                access to healthy, free school meals to nine million 
                more kids--working toward a future where every kid has 
                access to one. We also hosted the first White House 
                Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in over 50 
                years. Since then, we have galvanized over $10 billion 
                in external commitments dedicated to ending hunger and 
                reducing diet-related diseases in children and families 
                across the country. Furthermore, we are giving schools 
                the resources they need to purchase food from local 
                farmers and ranchers and cook meals from scratch--
                giving kids healthier options and powering our rural 
                economy.

                My Administration is taking steps to ensure our 
                Nation's children and families do not go hungry and can 
                afford healthy food. This year my Administration 
                launched SUN Bucks--also referred to as Summer 
                Electronic Benefits Transfer--to provide families with 
                money to buy groceries when school is out, reaching an 
                estimated 21 million children. My American Rescue Plan 
                expanded the Child Tax Credit, slashing child poverty 
                by nearly 50 percent and helping keep food on the table 
                for millions of families during the pandemic. I 
                continue to call on the Congress to restore the 
                enhanced Child Tax Credit to ensure families have the 
                money they need to feed and care for their kids.

                During National School Lunch Week, we recognize how 
                important school lunches are to kids and families alike 
                and recommit to expanding access to healthy, free 
                school meals to support the health of the next 
                generation.

[[Page 83602]]

                And we thank all the school staff, school nutrition 
                professionals, educators, and school leaders, whose 
                tireless work nourishes the future leaders of our 
                Nation.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 13 
                through October 19, 2024, as National School Lunch 
                Week. I call upon all Americans to recognize and 
                commemorate all those who operate the National School 
                Lunch Program with activities that raise awareness of 
                the steadfast efforts in support of the health and 
                well-being of our Nation's children.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                eleventh day of October, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                ninth.
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                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-24139
Filed 10-16-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P