WINDHAM, Maine — In Maine's public schools, breakfast and lunch are free for every student, regardless of their family's income.
Before the pandemic, students were given colored tickets to use to get free lunch, but now everyone types in their pin.
"Children who need to eat school meals weren't eating school meals, because they didn't want to be stigmatized," Jeanne Reilly, nutrition director of Windham-Raymond Schools said.
The state's Universal Free Meal Program took effect during the 2022-2023 school year.
"We went from serving 300 lunches a day to now 500-600 lunches a day," Reilly said.
That's an increase of 50 percent participation in school lunches at just Windham High School.
Reilly and five of her district coworkers went to Washington D.C. to advocate for the importance of school meal programs for students.
They spent time with Senator Susan Collins and testified in support of the nationwide Keep Kids Fed Act.
RSU 14 chef Ryan Roderick said fueling children is worth coming to work every day.
"It certainly is a lot more gratifying than working in a restaurant and trying to create a generation of healthy eaters," Roderick said.
"Studies have shown that school meals are the healthiest meals kids eat anywhere," Reilly added.
While Reilly was there, she also tried to convince the federal government to pay to for this program rather than the states alone.
California, Colorado, and Minnesota also participate in free school lunches.