Make Your Vote Count for Healthy Kids With FoodCorps’ Nonpartisan Guide

The 2024 U.S. election gets the most attention for the presidential race, but it’s elected officials at every level of government that impact the future of our country — especially for the youngest generations. 

Thrive Market is a proud partner of FoodCorps, a nonprofit that works in high-need areas across the country to connect kids to nourishing food in school. Through school meals and educational programs like taste tests and hands-on learning activities, FoodCorps works to start kids on a healthy path. 

To help set voters up for success, FoodCorps created a nonpartisan 2024 Voter Guide about school nutrition issues that impact kids’ well-being. Their approach is intended to educate voters about food-related issues affecting kids in school and help them learn more about the candidates on their ballot. 

Find out how to get ready to vote on November 5th, 2024 and read FoodCorps’ guide to school food-related issues here. 

Note: FoodCorps is a non-partisan, non-profit organization. FoodCorps staff and FoodCorps AmeriCorps members may not participate in any partisan or seemingly partisan activities during work time charged to an AmeriCorps funded grant or while earning AmeriCorps service hours. No federal funds were used to prepare or distribute advocacy actions.

Make a Voting Plan

Before you check out FoodCorps’ guide, make sure you’re ready to cast your ballot. 

1. Check your voter registration status or register to vote. 

In some states, you can register in person on Election Day or during early voting. Find out information for your state at vote.gov or VOTE411.org.

2. Decide how you want to vote. 

FoodCorps’ guide centers around issues that affect kids’ education and food access, but there’s a lot more at stake in this year’s election. Use a nonpartisan resource like Guides.vote to find out more about the candidates on your ballot and decide how you want to vote. 

3. Vote! 

Check your state’s voter ID laws before you head to the polls. Resources like the ACLU’s Know Your Rights tool can help you learn more about your voting rights and how to exercise them. 

FoodCorps’ 2024 Voter Guide 

FoodCorps has an ambitious goal: That by 2030, every child in the U.S. has access to food education and nourishing, free meals in school. Their guide covers five key issues on their path toward making their goal a reality:

1. Offering free, nourishing school meals: Providing all kids with free school meals, regardless of family income, promotes a sense of inclusion at school and sets kids — and school professionals — up for success. 
2. Providing access to food and nutrition education: Expanding the kind of food education that FoodCorps does in high-need areas to every classroom can help kids start healthy habits early. 
3. Modernizing resources: Kitchens are often an overlooked aspect of a school, but an important one to ensure that they’re properly equipped with appliances to store and provide healthy meals. Ideally, schools also have the capacity to maintain a garden for teachers and kids to use for learning and eating. 
4. Implementing diverse school nutrition leadership: Representation matters, especially for kids as they grow. BIPOC leaders at schools who bring a diverse set of backgrounds, foods, and experiences give students a chance to see themselves represented. 
5. Viewing school food as a racial justice issue: School food systems are impacted by systemic racism like all institutions in the U.S. Approaching school food through the lens of racial justice can help address deeper issues and change outcomes for kids. 

Read FoodCorps’ full 2024 voting guide here.