Westbrook legislators celebrate National School Lunch Week, serve lunch at Westbrook High School

AUGUSTA – On Tuesday, Westbrook Sens. Jill Duson, D-Portland, and Tim Nangle, D-Windham, as well as Representatives Sue Salisbury, D-Westbrook, and Morgan Rielly, D-Westbrook, visited Westbrook High School to celebrate National School Lunch Week. The legislators were welcomed by Mary Emerson, who serves as School Nutrition Director of the Westbrook School Department. The legislators interacted with students and staff as they helped serve lunch in the cafeteria and learned about the impact of Maine’s free school meals program.

“Visiting Westbrook High School was a wonderful reminder of the impact that access to nutritious meals has on our students’ ability to learn,” said Sens. Duson and Nangle. “We are proud of the work the district is doing and the details to ensure every student that walks into Westbrook schools can easily access a meal. Ensuring every child has access to healthy food is an investment for our future and our community.”

“We had a great time celebrating National School Lunch Week with the students and staff at Westbrook High School,” said Reps. Salisbury and Rielly. “The staff do an incredible job and it is clear that the free school meal program is having a meaningful impact on the lives and educational experiences of the students in our community. With rising costs of food hurting working class families, we are focused on making sure the state continues to fund the program.” Rep. Salisbury also serves as Chair of the Westbrook School Committee.

“Our work in Westbrook really centers around food equity for our students to ensure they can access our meals,” said Westbrook Schools Director of School Nutrition Mary Emerson. “We are very excited to partner with Portland and South Portland schools in forming the Halal Meals Network, which allows us to be transparent about the food we serve to our students who have special dietary restrictions due to their faith. We’ve partnered with a number of local organizations to promote local fish consumption and utilize locally grown greens in our meals. We also work with our school nutrition chefs to provide recipes for culturally appropriate dishes and provide variety to our menus.”

National School Lunch Week pays tribute to the National School Lunch Program, which serves 30 million students every day nationwide. In 2022, the Legislature passed LD 1679, School Meals for All, which made Maine the second state in the nation to pass a law ensuring universal free school meals in public schools. The 2024-2025 school year is the third year in which school meals are free for all Maine students.

Photo Caption: Sen. Jill Duson, Rep. Morgan Rielly and Sen. Tim Nangle preparing to serve lunch in the cafeteria at Westbrook High School

Photo Caption: From left: Rep. Suzanne Salisbury and Sen. Jill Duson

From left: Mary Emerson, Rep. Morgan Rielly, Sen. Jill Duson, Sen. Nangle, and Hannah Morse

Photo Caption: Sen. Tim Nangle preparing a sandwich

Photo Caption: Sen. Duson serving hot sandwiches