For many Wisconsin families, the decision to pack a lunch or buy one at school comes down to time and money.
Several school districts in the region offer different meal programs:
- The Sheboygan Area School District, Racine Unified School District, and Milwaukee Public Schools offer free lunch for all students.
- The School District of Waukesha charges $2.55 for lunch.
- Kenosha Unified School District charges $3 for middle and high school students.
- Washington County Public Schools charges $3.10 for secondary students.
Beyond standard pricing, the National School Lunch Program allows qualifying families to receive low- or no-cost meals.
For families who pack lunch instead, a Deloitte survey found parents are expected to spend about $6 per day on lunch — up 10 cents from last year.
Kela King is the founder of the group Mommies Make It Better and is a mom of a 5-year-old and two recent graduates. For her older children, she used free lunch at school. For her youngest, she uses a combination of both options. King said having choices matters for families.
"Some parents may not be able to afford to buy lunch, you know, and pack lunch 5 days a week plus on top of whatever it is else that comes with their grocery groceries. And in their budget, not only that, some parents may not even have the awareness of what a healthy lunch is. And so what are we packing? Are we wasting, you know, that money where they can do the reduced lunch." King said.
King leans on her community to find healthy food options for her 5-year-old and recommends checking whether your insurance offers dietitian services.
One organization working to make school food both healthy and appealing to students is Food Right. Its Good School Food Project works with organizers, parents, and students to test and approve meals for schools. The group also provides training to help parents advocate for healthier food at Milwaukee Public Schools.
Community engagement specialist Anita Garrett got involved after noticing her grandchildren were not eating the breakfast and lunch served at their school. That's when she connected with Food Right CEO Lisa Kingery.
Kingery said community voices are central to the organization's mission.
"And our part is bringing those community voices into that conversation and bringing them to the table to make sure that the foods they want and the priorities they have are being answered and met so that includes both parents and the kids." Kingery said.
Garrett said she felt compelled to speak up on behalf of her family.
"But I felt as a grandmother, I had to do, I had to be that voice for my children, that's all." Garrett said.
Garrett said they make the program a safe space for those interested to ask questions and find answers about the food services at Milwaukee Public Schools. MPS parents and caregivers interested in learning more about the school food system or getting involved in advocating for food services can find more information on how to participate on here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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