Westbrook Legislative Delegation celebrates National School Lunch Week, serves lunch at Westbrook High School
AUGUSTA – On Friday, Oct. 17, Senate Assistant Majority Leader Jill Duson, D-Portland; Sen. Tim Nangle, D-Windham, and Rep. Sue Salisbury, D-Westbrook, celebrated National School Lunch Week at Westbrook High School. The legislators were welcomed by Mary Emerson, School Nutrition Director for the Westbrook School Department, and spent time serving lunch, meeting students and learning more about the impact of Maine’s free school meals program. For the lawmakers, it was an opportunity to see firsthand how a policy they championed in Augusta is helping ensure full plates and focused students across Maine.
“Westbrook School Nutrition offers a top-notch service, providing nutritious local food to hundreds of students daily. We are grateful to Nutrition Director Mary Emerson and her dedicated team for welcoming us into the kitchen and giving us an up-front view of their work,” said Sen. Duson, Sen. Nangle and Rep. Salisbury. “We learned how the School Meals for All program is a game-changer for students across the board, and how local partnerships to serve Halal meals and cuisines from around the world ensure all students have access to meals. As legislators, we will continue to support efforts to combat food insecurity, empower our students and support our local agricultural economy.”
“Our nutrition program in Westbrook is committed to ensuring each student has access to healthy local food, as feeding the body is feeding the mind,” said Westbrook School Nutrition Director Mary Emerson. “We were thrilled to welcome Senators Duson and Nangle, and Rep. Salisbury to the High School for lunch and share all we are doing to empower students. Their continued support of School Meals for All and other nutrition assistance programs in the Legislature has been instrumental to our students and our community.”
National School Lunch Week, celebrated this year from October 13 through October 17, pays tribute to the National School Lunch Program, which serves 30 million students every day nationwide. In 2021, Maine became one of the first states to pass a universal free school meals program for public schools. The 2025-2026 school year is the fourth year in which school meals are free for all Maine public school students. All three legislators have voted in support of School Meals for All since arriving to the Legislature.
Photo caption: Sen. Jill Duson, D-Portland; Sen. Tim Nangle, D-Windham, and Rep. Sue Salisbury, D-Westbook (center) joined by Mary Emerson (far left) and members of the Westbrook High School nutrition team after serving lunch on Friday, October 17.