Our Daily Show Interview! Shelly Wuellner: Healthy School Food
BUNKER HILL – Shelly Wuellner, Vice President of the Illinois School Nutrition Association, wants to make sure no child goes hungry at school.
Wuellner has met with several local politicians to advocate for free school breakfasts and lunches for students. She has traveled to Washington, D.C., to push for federal funding for these meals, where she has also met with cafeteria workers across the country who support funding breakfasts and lunches for kids.
“All the lunch ladies throughout the U.S., their goal is to feed every single child,” Wuellner said. “Quite honestly, you’re required to send your kid to school, where they get every other resource that they need for their school day. Why are they not getting food? That should just be included.”
Wuellner also serves as the Food Service Director at Bunker Hill Community Unit School District #8. She shared that she is “so honored” to represent the district on a local and national level.
As a cafeteria worker, Wuellner sees the need firsthand. They serve the most meals on Mondays and Fridays, when kids are returning from or preparing for the weekend. She emphasized that school meals are healthy and that the workers aim to teach students about healthy eating.
Wuellner also clarified that cafeteria departments in schools are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and federal funding, not local property taxes. If a student can’t pay their bill for their school meals, the money comes from the gen ed fund, which is funded by property taxes.
This is why Wuellner believes it makes more sense to make these meals completely free for kids and families by allocating federal funding toward the costs. She and her fellow advocates are asking for $67 million to be appropriated toward feeding school-aged children in Illinois.
She explained that Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Healthy School Meals for All bill in August 2023. This bill provides free breakfasts and lunches to every student who wants them. But the bill has still not received the funding it needs to become a reality.
“In the state of Illinois, there are 6.9 million taxpayers. It would cost us ten cents a day to feed kids breakfast and lunch every day. That’s $36.50 a year,” Wuellner said. “It’s just unfunded. It’s time to fund it. At $36.50 a year, why are we even talking about it?”
As Wuellner tries to spread the word, she has scheduled many meetings with elected officials. She noted that in every conversation she has, people usually agree that something must be done to help families afford school meals or receive free school meals. She urges these elected officials and her fellow community members to push for funding.
“We’re all on the same page. We all agree. But why aren’t we moving it forward? Why aren’t we gaining any ground anywhere?” she said. “They’re all supportive of kids eating and feeding them. Why aren’t we getting anywhere to move forward on this? It’s not political. It’s not a Democrat. It’s not a Republican. We all suffer the same.”
