[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 197 (Friday, October 13, 2017)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 47945-47946]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22419]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 82 , No. 197 / Friday, October 13, 2017 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 47945]]


                Proclamation 9654 of October 6, 2017

                
National School Lunch Week, 2017

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                The health and well-being of our children is vital to 
                the success of our Nation. When our Nation's youth have 
                their basic needs fulfilled, they can better focus on 
                succeeding in school and in life. During National 
                School Lunch Week, we recognize the benefits that 
                school lunch programs offer to our communities and to 
                our Nation's future.

                The National School Lunch Program is a partnership 
                between Federal, State, and local governments working 
                together to facilitate the health and development of 
                our Nation's children. Since its inception more than 70 
                years ago, millions of students have received low-cost 
                or free meals and learned life-long healthy eating 
                habits. Today, the National School Lunch Program serves 
                more than 31 million students every school day, at 
                nearly 100,000 schools and residential child-care 
                institutions across our Nation.

                For many children, school lunch may be their most 
                substantial meal of the day. Adequate nutrition is 
                essential to a child's mental, physical, and emotional 
                well-being, and students who lack sufficient vitamins 
                and minerals, such as iron, vitamin E, vitamin B, 
                thiamine, iodine, and zinc, may suffer from inhibited 
                cognitive functioning and a diminished ability to 
                concentrate. Poor nutrition, especially from excess 
                sugar consumption, may also lead to behavioral 
                problems. School lunches, in addition to providing 
                balanced nutrition, can teach students the relationship 
                between nutrition and classroom performance.

                The Congress created the National School Lunch Act to, 
                ``safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation's 
                children.'' More than seven decades later, dedicated 
                Americans continue to work to ensure the nutritional 
                health of our greatest treasure--our young people. 
                During National School Lunch Week, we recognize the 
                food service professionals, school administrators, 
                community members, parents, and all those who dedicate 
                themselves to the health of our schoolchildren. To 
                emphasize the importance of the National School Lunch 
                Program to our youth's nutrition, the Congress, by 
                joint resolution of October 9, 1962 (Public Law 87-
                780), as amended, has designated the week beginning on 
                the second Sunday in October each year as ``National 
                School Lunch Week'' and has requested the President to 
                issue a proclamation in observance of this week.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim October 8 through 
                October 14, 2017, as National School Lunch Week. I call 
                upon all Americans to join the countless individuals 
                who administer the National School Lunch Program in 
                activities that support and promote awareness of the 
                health and well-being of our Nation's children.

[[Page 47946]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand seventeen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                second.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2017-22419
Filed 10-12-17; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F8-P