Did you or someone you know eat breakfast for free at school?
This is because of the School Breakfast Program (SBP) administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service. The program began as a two-year pilot program in 1966 and was made permanent in 1975.
In 1969, The Black Panther Party started the Free Breakfast for School Children Program in Oakland.
The program served early morning hot meals to children before they went to school. As one of the Black Panther Party's survival programs, the goal was to feed children, improve nutrition, and demonstrate mutual aid in underserved communities. Waiting for children each morning was a nutritious meal that included grits, bacon, eggs, and toast along with something to drink. Black Panther Party members recognized that children who did not have access to adequate nutrition could have difficulty focusing and learning in school. They believed that providing children with a hot breakfast could help address hunger and improve their ability to learn.
On the first day the breakfast program fed 11 children. By the end of the week, 135 children had been fed. The program was supported by donations from individuals, organizations, churches, and businesses, as well as fundraising projects.
The Black Panther Party's Free Breakfast for School Children Program attracted attention across the country, including the federal government because the work demonstrated that community organizations could respond directly to children's need for food and nutrition. Its efforts and community organizing also contributed to broader public pressure around federal school-meal programs, which eventually the SBP was permanently authorized by Congress in 1975.
Today, the program provides free or low-cost meals to eligible students in participating schools based on eligibility.
View archival footage of the Black Panther Party Free Breakfast Program., opens a new window
Add a comment to: Celebrating the Black Panther Party: Free Breakfast for School Children Program