WAUKESHA, Wis. — As parents are getting ready to send their kids back to school, many are worrying once again about school lunches. The nationwide universal lunch program, which launched at the beginning of the pandemic, expired at the end of June.
Paying for lunches again is weighing heavy on Becky Gilligan's mind as her kids get ready to head back to school in Waukesha in two weeks.
"It was really nice to have that one less thing to worry about, to have free lunches," Gilligan said. "I'm kind of worried that it's just gonna be like it was pre-pandemic."
Gilligan's family doesn't qualify for free and reduced-price lunches, but she said she often faces challenges making sure there are appropriate funds in her kids' lunch accounts at school.
"I've had to ask my mom for help. There's been times where they've had to eat the cheese sandwiches for three or four days until I get paid so I can get more money in there," Gilligan said.
Many families face similar challenges across Wisconsin when it comes to making sure their kids have a hot lunch at school. According to Feeding America, one in eight kids across the state face hunger.
WATCH: Mother Becky Gilligan is preparing to pay for lunches again as her kids head back to school.
"I'm just worried that if it stretches me, then some people, families that struggle financially a lot more than I do, this has to be affecting them so much more," Gilligan said.
Friends with Food Executive Director Rochelle Gamaouf is already preparing to meet an increased need at the Waukesha food pantry.
"We're adding square footage and we're adding a huge walk-in cooler and refrigerator," Gamaouf said. "We saw this kind of happening, so we're stepping it up and trying to get the best food that we can give to our people."
Friends with Food is one of the dozens of Wisconsin organizations supporting the Healthy Meals for All bill proposed in the state legislature. The bill would fund free meals for all Wisconsin students regardless of income.
"It's just the right thing to do. If we're going to put money somewhere, this is the right place to put money. I know nothing is free, but I feel like investing in this is the right thing to do," Gilligan said.
Only two states, California and Maine, have launched permanent state-funded free school meal programs for all students. Vermont, Massachusetts, and Nevada have passed legislation to cover the cost of meals for the upcoming school year.
In Wisconsin, without a universal free lunch program, 39% of students qualify for free and reduced-price lunches.
