Our Advocacy Resources
Here, you’ll find essential tools and guidance to support your advocacy efforts and help elevate the importance of child nutrition programs.
Explore the national School Nutrition Association’s advocacy tools, including the position paper and tips for effective engagement. You’ll also find practical information on how to connect with your local, state, and federal legislators, craft compelling messages, and participate in advocacy campaigns that impact school nutrition funding and policy.
Whether you’re new to advocacy or a seasoned voice for school meals, these resources will help you take action and make a difference in shaping the future of school nutrition.
SNA Position Paper
The School Nutrition Association’s 2025 Position Paper calls on Congress to strengthen the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs by increasing federal reimbursement rates by 40 cents per lunch and 15 cents per breakfast to address rising food, labor, and equipment costs. With only 20.5% of school nutrition directors reporting current reimbursements as sufficient, and the majority expressing concerns about future financial sustainability, increased funding is essential to meet nutrition standards and prepare healthy meals. SNA also urges Congress to protect and expand the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) to ensure all students have access to free, nutritious meals—reducing stigma and administrative burdens while combating hunger. Additionally, the paper highlights the urgent need to address unpaid meal debt, which continues to rise as many families who don’t qualify for assistance still struggle with food insecurity. SNA advocates for comprehensive federal action to support school meal programs, promote student health, and ensure equitable access to healthy food for all children.
SNA Advocacy Toolkit
The United States legislative and regulatory process is designed to be “of the people, by the people, for the people.” Contrary to what some may believe, you don’t need any special connections, credentials, or titles to share your voice as a citizen and constituent. When we use consistent and strategic communication, we can move mountains! Use the SNA Advocacy Toolkit to learn about how our legislative process works, and how you can make a difference on local, state, and federal levels.
199th Congress school nutrition bills
Legislative Action Conference
Be part of advocacy in action when you attend SNA’s Legislative Action Conference in the nation’s capital.
We want to send you to the Legislative Action Conference (LAC)!
Consider bringing your expertise, your passion, and your stories to Washington, D.C., and prepare to shape and define national policy relating to school nutrition. This conference is an exciting and educational experience, which allows us as School Nutrition Professionals to educate congress about our national program and local needs. Involvement in the legislative process of our association brings amazing professional and personal growth and satisfaction. It allows us the opportunity to implement change at the highest possible level, mobilizing the house and senate to take action and care for the nation’s most precious commodity: our children.
The SNA of Mass LAC Scholarship application opens in late Fall with winners announced by the end of the year.
Talking to your Legislators
Why build relationships with your school district representatives and local legislators?
Building relationships with your school district representatives and local legislators will allow you to educate and familiarize them with your school nutrition program, your expertise and knowledge, and the challenges you face. Good communication between your school district representatives and local legislators is critical. These key players are vital to the success of your programs future. These are the people who decide not only the policies we will need to follow, but also how much funding will be provided for our programs. You can play an important role in making a case for future investment into our school nutrition programs.
Ask Yourself, "Have my school district representatives visited my cafeteria(s)?"
If the answer is no than you should invite them to visit! This visit can be an effective way to demonstrate first-hand how your program operates. They will appreciate becoming more informed about their school nutrition program and in turn this will help establish you as a valuable resource when local decisions are being made about the program. This will give you opportunity to better market your program.
Ask yourself, "have I ever reached out to my local legislators... do i even know who they are?"
Again, if the answer is no than you should get to know who they are by reaching out to them. Legislators need to be informed about operational issues you are dealing with on a daily basis. They appreciate the opportunity to become more informed on how these issues affect not only the district, but community as well. By being informed of these issues facing the district and the community, it helps ensure that they will be more likely to support and advocate for change as they move through congress.