California to Feed More Than 6 Million Students in Largest Free School Lunch Program in U.S.

All 6.2 million public school students in California would no longer be hungry, as the state decided to give them the option to eat school meals for free, regardless of their family's earnings.

The program would also serve better quality food when California schools open their classrooms for the fall term. According to KTLA, it will be the largest free student lunch program in the U.S.

Erin Primer, director of food services for the San Luis Coastal Unified School District on California's central coast, said the program "is historic," and "beyond life-changing."

Primer further noted that the state completely leveled the playing field in terms of giving out school food. The food services director added that the extra funding would allow the food services department to offer tastier and better quality food sourced from local producers.

A number of cities, including New York, Boston, and Chicago, had already offered free school meals for all students within their dominion.

However, statewide universal meal programs were considered too costly and unrealistic until the state of California decided to become the first state to adopt a universal program last month. The state of Maine followed shortly after with the same plan.

The largest free student lunch program in the country was made possible by an unexpected budget surplus. It was applauded by school officials, lawmakers, anti-hunger organizations, and parents. It is pioneering a way to prevent the stigma of accepting free lunches and feeding more hungry kids, KCRA reported.

No More Hungry California Students

Based on the federal rules, a family composed of four members must make less than $34,000 a year to qualify for free meals and not more than $48,000 income to be eligible for reduced-price meals.

The caps differ annually, but they were based on federal poverty measures and were not based on California's high cost of living and taxes.

Backing up the latest California's program, philanthropist Kat Taylor, who was a major funder of the Center for Ecoliteracy and TomKat Ranch, noted that the program targeted not only most poor families but also some individuals who failed to sign up or were fearful of signing up in the previous free food programs.

Around 60 percent of students in the state of California were qualified in the previous program. However, experts noted that the number of students in the state who need food assistance was much higher, especially in a state with vast income inequality.

Experts said that communities of color were disproportionately affected. Experts emphasized that immigrant communities, in particular, were fearful of applying because of detailed forms that ask intrusive questions such as their family income, Social Security number, and their immigration status.

During the Trump administration, California schools reported that there was a declining percentage of families applying for free and reduced-price meals.

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Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: California Launches Largest Free School Lunch Program In US - From FOX 5 San Diego