(105 ILCS 125/0.05)
Sec. 0.05.
State policy and legislative intent.
The General Assembly
recognizes that hunger and food security are serious problems in the State of
Illinois with as
many as one million citizens being affected. These citizens have lost
their sense of food security. It is estimated that just under 600,000 Illinois
children
experience hunger or food insecurity, meaning that they either go without
eating meals,
or their parents cannot provide the kinds of food they need. Because
low-income children are not being
adequately nourished, even to the point where many are arriving at school
hungry, the General Assembly believes it is in the best interest of
Illinois to utilize resources available through existing child nutrition
programs, to the fullest extent possible.
The General Assembly also recognizes a definite correlation between
adequate child nutrition and a child's physical, emotional, and cognitive
development. There is also a correlation between adequate nutrition and a
child's ability to perform well in school. In this regard, the General
Assembly realizes the importance of the National
School Breakfast Program
as an
effective measure that must be widely implemented to insure more adequate
nutrition for Illinois children.
(Source: P.A. 91-843, eff. 6-22-00.)
|