September 9, 2025
We expect children to sit still, focus, behave, and learn while their stomachs are growling. As adults, we know how hard it is to concentrate when we’re hungry, yet we expect children to do just that. Hunger impacts our emotions, concentration, and ability to learn. No child should be expected to succeed on an empty stomach. For too many children, though, that is a daily reality.
As a new school year begins, North Carolinians from every corner of the state are stepping up to support School Meals for All NC, an initiative working to ensure every child in every public school has access to breakfast and lunch at no cost to their families. This is not a partisan issue — in fact, 81% of NC voters across party lines support free school meals for all children. That broad support is rooted in personal stories like the ones below, which show how deeply childhood hunger strains families and communities.
Christie’s Story – Dare County
Christie Baer, a lifelong resident of Dare County and the mother of two girls, first became involved in School Meals for All NC after hearing of a high school student who was denied lunch because of a $10 meal debt. “I decided that this was not something I would let slide through the cracks,” she said. “It was appalling to me that schools were taking food from children and throwing it away because of $10.”
Christie and other parents raised their concerns to the Dare County Board of Commissioners, who voted unanimously to fund free meals for the remainder of the school year. While she celebrates that success locally, she remains concerned for students outside her district who still face hunger every day.
Mary Beth’s Story – Haywood County
In Haywood County, which participates in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) to provide no-cost meals in qualifying schools, grandmother Mary Beth Cochran knows just how critical school meals are. Living on a fixed income while raising four grandchildren, she has seen firsthand how much students depend on breakfast and lunch at school.
“Our children need the nourishment to be able to learn and concentrate on school,” she said. “These children are the future and we should be doing everything possible for them to succeed. For so many families in our area, the school meals are the only meals they get.”
Mary Beth has taken her lived experience far beyond her own community, making several visits to the North Carolina General Assembly and even to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. to advocate for school meals and nutrition assistance. She uses her story not just to fight for her own family, but to ensure that every child in every community has access to the food they need to learn and thrive.
Franthia’s Story – Granville County
Educator Franthia McKoy of Granville County has taught for more than 15 years and has seen how hunger robs children of their ability to focus and thrive.
“For years, we’ve emphasized ‘No Child Left Behind,’ but it’s time we also focus on ‘No Child Left Hungry,’” she said. She remembers students arriving with empty lunch boxes just to hide the fact they had nothing to eat. Franthia knows that providing no-cost meals would not only ease hunger but also remove the stigma attached to who gets fed and who doesn’t.
Franthia has also used her voice publicly to push for change. At the School Meals for All NC Town Hall in Granville County, she shared her classroom experiences with community members, advocates, and policymakers, putting a spotlight on how hunger shows up in schools and why ensuring access to meals is essential for student success.
Monique Nicholson – Guilford County
“Until my daughter started kindergarten, I was oblivious to how many children experience hunger during the school day,” said Monique Nicholson, a parent and speech language pathologist from Guilford County. Her daughter’s teacher put parents on a schedule to send in snacks for all students in the classroom. Nicholson would occasionally send her daughter to school with extra snacks when she noticed how other students were unable to bring anything.
As Nicolson’s daughter grew older, she also started to notice how some of her classmates had little or nothing to eat for lunch. Although she would sometimes ask her mother to pack her an extra lunch for friends, Nicholson’s daughter recognized that this problem needed the help of adults to solve it.
“This sparked honest, difficult conversations about inequality, food insecurity, and what it means to use your voice for those who may feel unheard,” said Nicholson.
Inspired by their conversation, Nicholson’s daughter presented to the board of education when she was in fifth grade, advocating for her classmates who had school lunch debt.
Be a Champion
Christie, Mary Beth, Franthia, and Monique represent just a few of the many Champions across our state who are raising their voices for children. Their stories remind us that hunger doesn’t stop at the classroom door and neither should our support.
As this school year begins, we need more Champions who will speak up so that every child in North Carolina can count on breakfast and lunch at school, no matter their zip code or family’s income. Together, we can ensure no child is left hungry.
Join us as a Champion today. Share your story, speak to your legislators, or simply spread the word: School Meals for All NC is the right thing to do.