Rachel Ray recently flashed her toothy grin to promote a topic more pressing than the latest 30-minute meal. She lobbied Congress to increase the budget for healthy school lunches.

FYI, the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010”, (a retooling of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966), passed the Senate with a $4.5 billion increase for school lunches over the next ten years. Sounds pretty good, huh? Unfortunately, it is shockingly short of the $10 billion over 10 years that the Obama Administration had suggested. Food advocates also agree that this amount is necessary for a true, healthy overhaul of the nation’s school lunch program.

It is time for change: Under the current requirements potatoes-even in the sorry form of soggy French fries- count as a vegetable. Your voice needs to be heard in order to make these reforms a reality. Here’s what you can do:

• Write or call your state representative and ask them to support greater increases to the school lunch reforms We’re hoping for an increase of 70 cents to $1. To contact your representative call the capitol switchboard at 1-800-815-3740 and ask for your state’s representative.

• Join Jamie Oliver’s revolutionary Food Revolution. Sign the petition here!

• Most importantly, make yourself aware of the issues. Check out the work

Renegade Lunch Lady, Ann Cooper, is doing: http://www.chefann.com/.

Let’s all help promote change and make it a reality.

Cheers,

Joanna