Take Action: 30 Minute Lunch

Students do not have enough time to eat. LD 1002 An Act to Require a Lunch Period of at Least 30 Minutes for Students and Reduce Food Waste would require Maine schools to allow at least 30 minutes for students to eat lunch as part of the National School Lunch Program. It also directs districts to allow adequate time for recess and to schedule recess before lunch, a best practice that encourages students to sit and eat lunch after fresh air and exercise. Take action and help us advocate for this important bill:

Sign up to Testify or Submit Testimony

Maine lawmakers need to hear from you! Help us advocate for a 30 minute lunch period for all Maine students. There will be a public hearing in Augusta on Wednesday, March 22nd starting at 10:30am. Sign up to testify live or over Zoom, or submit written testimony using the online testimony submission portal. If using the online submission portal, select the following options:

  • Type of Hearing: Public Hearing
  • Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
  • Date: Mar 22 2023 10:30AM
  • Bill: LD 1002 – An Act to Require a Lunch Period of at Least 30 Minutes for Students and Reduce Food Waste

Use our template testimony to get started. Here’s how you can make it your own:

Step 1: Enter your information in the sections with parentheses
• Your name
• Your School or Organization
• Town
• Student/Parent and Grade Level

Step 2: Make a personal connection
Tell a story about school lunch and why it’s important to you for students to have enough time to eat.

Step 3: Demonstrate your understanding of the issue
Here are some supporting facts:
• 1 in 6 Maine kids experience food insecurity
• In a typical lunch period, students are often only sitting to eat for 7 to 12 minutes
• A hungry child can’t learn
• Healthy choices like raw vegetables take longer to consume
• Not enough time to eat means more food waste
• School meals are the most reliable and nutritious source of nutrition for students

Step 4: Signing off
Reiterate that you want them to support this bill and why it’s important. Thank them for their time and commitment to Maine’s children and let them know that you’re happy to answer any questions they have. Sign off with your name!

VIEW TEMPLATE TESTIMONY

Time Your Lunch Line

Conduct a study at your school! Download our Lunch Timing Activity Sheet to time your lunch line and record observations. Once you’re done, send your results to Kirsten Tenney at ktenney@fullplates.org.

Take a Survey

Share your experience with school lunch to help inform lawmakers about the importance of making sure every student has enough time to eat.

TAKE THE SURVEY

Share this survey with your network! Send them the link or download our poster.

Spread Awareness

Right-click an image and select “Save image as…” to save to your computer. On mobile, tap and hold the image and then “Save to Photos”

Tips for sharing

  • Tag @fullplatesfullpotential in your Instagram posts
  • Share posts to your stories
  • Ask supporters to complete the 30 Minute Lunch Survey by using a link in stories
  • Post a reel with your own comments on the importance of having time to eat!

Hashtags

  • #30minlunch
  • #timetoeat