[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 129 (Thursday, October 6, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2029]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN A. BOEHNER

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 6, 2005

  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I recognize 
National School Lunch Week. This year, the event is being held during 
the week of October 10-14, 2005. In honor of this event, I would like 
to take a moment to share with you a few facts relating to the National 
School Lunch Program:
  President Harry Truman established the National School Lunch Program 
in 1946 in response to the large number of World War II recruits that 
were rejected due to malnutrition.
  Today, the school lunch program serves more than 28 million students 
each day.
  Just over half of those students who participate in the school lunch 
program receive their lunch free or at a reduced cost.
  Over 92 percent of all students nationwide have access to school 
lunch and about 58 percent of those students participate on a given 
day.
  The school lunch program operates in 99 percent of all public schools 
and 85 percent of private schools. That's a total of 99,538 public and 
non-profit private schools.
  The National School Lunch Program is the largest of the federal child 
nutrition programs both in terms of spending and children served.
  In fiscal year 2005, $6.8 billion was appropriated for the school 
lunch program.
  For some children, a school lunch is the only healthy meal they eat 
all day. School lunches can contribute positively to children's health, 
and can improve academic performance by increasing children's learning 
capacity and lengthening their attention spans. The National School 
Lunch Program plays an important role in protecting the health and 
well-being of many of the nation's school-age children.
  I commend the nation's dedicated educators, food service 
professionals, and most of all, parents who work to ensure the ongoing 
success of the National School Lunch Program, and to ensure that 
children have access to nutritious and balanced meals at school.

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