Photo Via Senator Chris Larson - Facebook
Chris Larson
Senator Chris Larson was recognized Wednesday as Legislator of the Year by the School Nutrition Association (SNA-WI) following his efforts to bring healthy school meals free of charge to all students in Wisconsin.
Larson introduced and co-sponsored two state bills focused on free school lunches. He also co-authored and co-sponsored two other bills which create a statewide healthy food system, all in an effort to encourage all food stamp recipients to purchase more fruits and vegetables, one of which was signed into law by Governor Evers earlier this year.
“[The legislation] would greatly benefit students, if signed into law. For example, students who eat school breakfast attend 1.5 more days of school, perform 17.5% better on math tests, and are 20% more likely to graduate,” said Kaitlin Tauriainen, SNA-WI president.
According to the SNA-WI, the new healthy food system will allow Wisconsinites receiving FoodShare benefits to receive matching dollars when purchasing fruit and vegetables at participating retailers.
“SNA-WI greatly appreciates Senator Larson’s strong leadership in working towards the goal of providing healthy school meals free of charge to all schoolchildren in Wisconsin,” said Tauriainen.
