Kentucky lawmakers from both parties are hoping to lessen childhood hunger while also supporting farmers with new legislation set to be introduced in next year’s legislative session.?

The pre-filed legislation from Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-Louisville, and Reps. Chad Aull, D-Lexington, and Scott McPherson, R-Scottsville, would establish the “Kentucky Proud School Match Program.”?

In a statement Friday, Aull said the program would “make farm-to-table more of a reality in our school lunchrooms and have the state becoming a bigger financial partner.”?

The new program would allow Kentucky school districts that participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)? — a federal program reimbursing districts for the costs of providing free school breakfast and lunch in low-income areas — to get more financial support from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture when funding is available. About 90% of all public school districts and private schools in Kentucky participate in CEP, according to state data.

For school districts to get that additional support they would have to create a plan to reduce food waste and buy “Kentucky-grown agricultural products” that could prioritize “Kentucky Proud” branded products.?

“We know this program benefits both our children and our ag economy. Increasing the state’s investment will return even greater results, particularly with rising costs due to inflation and federal pandemic relief funds coming to an end,” McPherson said in a statement.?

A previous study partly supported by the food bank network Feeding Kentucky found Kentucky school districts generally lagged behind on incorporating local farm products into school meals. According to a press release on the pre-filed bill, Kentucky was one of the first 10 states to participate in CEP when it was established in 2010. More than 500,000 Kentucky students currently take advantage of it.?

“Since most schools are already using CEP, we believe the state needs to be a better financial partner in this effort,” Armstrong said in a statement. “For many children, a school cafeteria is the only place they regularly get nutritious meals, and studies are clear that students who are not hungry are more likely to do well academically.”