Poverty is not a moral failing — especially not for children.

I know that firsthand. From the end of my freshman year through my junior year of high school, my family and I were homeless. I still remember what it felt like to sit in class after lunch with an empty stomach, trying to hide the sound of it growling — and trying even harder to focus on what the teacher was saying.

That kind of shame, fear, and distraction has no place in our schools. And no child in America should have to experience it.

That’s why I’m fighting for universal free school breakfast and lunch — for every student, in every public school, regardless of income.

This is about more than food. It’s about dignity. It’s about recognizing that children cannot learn if their basic needs aren’t met. It’s about creating a public education system that uplifts all students, not just those who can afford it.

We’ve seen the success of programs like the Community Eligibility Provision. Now it’s time to make that promise national and permanent.

As your representative, I will work to:

• Make universal free school meals a federally guaranteed right

• Eliminate lunch debt and end the practice of lunch shaming

• Fully fund school meal programs so they can provide healthy, high-quality food

• Reframe school meals as essential educational infrastructure, not a handout

Because every child deserves to eat. Every child deserves to learn. And no family should have to choose between pride and their kid’s next meal.