Solving Food Insecurity

NextGen partners with The Chef Ann Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting scratch cooking in schools and established the Healthy School Food Pathway program, a first-in-the-nation training program focused on building a school nutrition workforce

 NextGen partners with Alchemist CDC, a mission-driven organization that connects Sacramento area communities to land, food, and opportunity toward a vision in which all neighborhoods are vibrant, equitable, healthy, and diverse. We are encouraged by the work they do and pleased to be partners with them in the food insecurity space.

School Meals for All was fully funded in the State Budget for 2026, with a $90.7 million increase to accommodate growing student participation and the program’s continued success. A recent study found that states with universal free school meals see a 12% reduction in household food insecurity — further underscoring the importance of this investment. NextGen collected powerful stories from California educators and families about the program’s impact, and co-hosted a legislative staff briefing with state Senator Caroline Menjivar (SD-20) to deepen understanding and support in the legislature.

In partnership with the Chef Ann Foundation, we secured $10 million in the 2025 State Budget for a one-year extension of the Healthy School Food Pathway program. This program is the first federally and state-registered apprenticeship and workforce pipeline focused on school nutrition, providing hands-on career development and training in preparing fresh, locally sourced, healthy meals for students. To highlight the program’s importance and impact on the communities served, NextGen partnered with state Senator Monique Limón (SD 19) to host a legislative briefing on how the legislature can build a school nutrition workforce for the future and support program participants in sharing their powerful stories and testimonials directly with state leaders.