Post on Social Media: This Week is NSLW, October 13–17
Celebrate Universal School Meals in New York

This week is National School Lunch Week (NSLW)—October 13-17, 2025—and it’s also the inaugural year of statewide universal free school meals in New York! This NSLW, we are celebrating that 2.7 million New York students can now get free breakfast and lunch every school day. During New York’s historic NSLW, join us in highlighting this incredible victory for New York students, families, and schools.

Post on Social about NY’s Universal School Meals during NSLW!

This week, join us in posting on social media about universal school meals in New York. We are using NSLW to highlight the power of universal free school meals. Use the Healthy School Meals for All NY Kids coalition resources to spread the word! 

WHEN: Monday, October 13-Friday, October 17, 2025
WHAT: Use this toolkit, which includes graphics, sample social media captions, and sample newsletters/emails.

Please use the hashtags #NSLW25, #Meals4AllNY, and tag Hunger Solutions New York in your posts. This helps us amplify your posts!

New on the Blog: Every Student, Every Day: Universal School Meals Are a Victory for Kids, Families, and Schools

As schools celebrate the inaugural year of statewide universal free meals during National School Lunch Week, we are also reflecting on the journey to make this historic investment a reality. Our latest blog post recaps the incremental road to New York’s victory, the collaborative efforts along the way, and what’s next now that meals are free to all.

NEW Graphics: Get Students Excited about Universal School Meals!

Use the NEWEST graphics in our Universal School Meals Outreach Toolkit to let students know school meals are free for all this year and highlight reasons to participate each day! Pair these graphics with sample messages from our toolkit for an easy lift and disseminate through channels your school already uses to communicate with students.

Fall Resource Round-Up for Schools

From the New York State Education Department:

New Child Nutrition Briefing Series for Schools: Join the NYSED Child Nutrition Program Administration for the latest updates on the child nutrition programs. Register below:

• Fall CN School Briefing: Thursday, November 20, 1-2 p.m.
• Winter CN School Briefing: Thursday, February 26, 1-2 p.m.
• Spring CN School Briefing: Thursday, May 14, 1-2 p.m.

View NYSED’s full schedule of webinars and in-person trainings for SY 2025-2026 here.

Spotlight on NSLW 2024! The latest edition of NYSED’s Child Nutrition Spotlight series showcases how schools across the state celebrated National School Lunch Week 2024.

Have plans for NSLW 2025? Help NYSED spotlight a deserving person or program! Complete this form to share your best practices, creative solutions, fun ideas, or to nominate yourself or a school food service employee/director to be recognized for their excellence.

From the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC):

Register today: SNAP Cuts, School Meals Consequences: Protecting Community Eligibility and Children’s Access to Nutritious School Meals. Join FRAC and child nutrition experts for a timely conversation on what SNAP cuts mean for students, schools, and states — and how we can protect access to the meals students need to thrive in the classroom and beyond. 
When: Thursday, October 16, 3 p.m.

New York’s Universal Free School Meals in the Spotlight 

• Capitol Pressroom, “Feeding all of New York’s students” – Hear about the implementation of universal school meals from Katy Headwell, the Director of School Nutrition Services at Shenendehowa Central School District.
• WRGB Albany, “Student describes advocacy work towards NY's passage of Universal School Meals” – Former Shenendehowa High School student Lizzie Andrus discusses her advocacy for universal free school meals.
• CUNY School of Public Health & Health Policy, “Universal school meals prove a win for kids, families, and the planet” – New article in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health evaluates school meal programs in four major cities from around the world, including NYC.