Target: Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York
Goal: Demand New York State allocate more resources towards providing healthy, plant-based options in schools.
Late last month, California became the first U.S. state to provide public funding for healthy, plant-based meals in schools through grades K-12. A total of $700 million were allocated to this project—including $100 million to help schools procure plant based-products as well as other sustainably produced foods, California-grown foods, and foods that meet other dietary restrictions of students, and $600 million to help improve infrastructure of school kitchens and to train and compensate food service workers.
This funding is a historic investment both for the health and wellbeing of our nation’s students, and towards a more ethical future where less animals will be brutally slaughtered for food. Providing vegan options to growing students—including those to whom these options aren’t readily available—is a great step in helping to normalize these products. Other districts in other states should, hopefully, follow similar trajectories in providing their kids with healthy and humane food. For example, New York is another state with a large budget and which has one of the higher vegetarian and vegan populations of all the U.S. States.
Sign this petition to encourage New York State to make similar public investments for plant-based meals in schools.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Governor Hochul,
California has recently become the first state to allocate public funding to plant-based school meals. A total of $700 million of the state’s budget will go towards providing plant-based–as well as other sustainably produced and California-grown foods–to schools, while improving kitchen infrastructure and training and compensating food service workers. This access to plant-based meals for students in grades K-12 will be monumental for students with specific restrictions, and will provide alternatives for students with specific dietary needs–due to religious beliefs or food allergies–as well as allowing students to act on environmental or ethical concerns. Not to mention, plant-based foods tend to be much healthier than most meat options.
The state of New York has similar populations of vegetarians and vegans as does California, and a budget of about the same amount, if not more. Allocating financial resources towards plant-based cafeteria meals is not only an investment in the future of our children, but towards a more sustainable future for the entire world. It is time we these options available to all students, regardless of geographic location or economic status.
We are asking you, Ms. Hochul, to follow in California’s footsteps and take similar initiatives for providing our students with healthy, sustainable, and humane food options.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Antoni Shakraba
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