[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 99 (Wednesday, June 12, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H3729-H3730]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   AUBURN MIDDLE SCHOOL MEALS PROGRAM

  (Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I recently visited a visionary school 
meals program in Auburn, Massachusetts, that is providing students with 
nutritious, scratch-cooked meals and teaching them how to grow food 
using hydroponics.
  Under the leadership of Superintendent Elizabeth Chamberland, 
Principal Gregg Desto, Food Services Director Brianne Pulver, and with 
the support from the Auburn School Committee, Auburn Middle School is 
showing all of us how transformative school meal programs can be in 
nourishing minds and educating students.
  Utilizing a Federal Farm to School grant, AMS is prioritizing locally 
sourced foods. On May 8, they celebrated the 508 Day, our area code in 
central Massachusetts, where they serve meals prepared entirely from 
locally grown and produced foods. They have recently started a food 
recovery program to reduce waste. It is incredible.
  On my visit, I also learned that, since Massachusetts adopted 
universal free

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school meals, even more kids are taking advantage of nutritious options 
at schools. The kids were happy, and the food looked delicious. Let's 
expand this kind of programming to all schools in order to promote 
better nutrition and to end hunger now.

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