Monday is the start of National School Lunch Week. The week highlights the critical need and importance of school-provided meals. The theme for this year is "School Lunch Pirates Find Your Treasure."President John F. Kennedy created National School Lunch Week in 1962. Since then, it has served as a way to promote the health benefits of a healthy school lunch for children and the ways it can impact them both in and out of the classroom.Watch: National School Lunch Week highlights the importance of school-provided meals. Hunger Task Force staff help support learning during National School Lunch WeekMore than 30 million children in the United States rely on school lunches each day. Hunger Task Forces chief strategy officer Jonathan Hanson said school meal programs are critical for students. Hunger Task Force has been working for decades as an anti-hunger public policy organization.School lunch programs and school breakfast programs are critical programs for feeding kids in our community, said Hanson. We know right now, especially with need being so high in our community, pantry traffic being up 30% compared to last year, kids having access to school breakfast and a healthy school lunch every day at school is essential to their growth, learning, and development.Hanson says school meals are a lifeline for providing nutrition students need to thrive in the classroom and beyond. Data shows the number of children living in food insecure households has increased by 45% in the last three years.To learn more about the 2024 National School Lunch Week click here.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip