Portland, Maine is a progressive city with a diverse student body that includes many students who are vegetarian and vegan. In addition, large numbers of students suffer from dairy allergies and intolerances, and others come from cultural and religious backgrounds that eat vegan or vegetarian on various days throughout the year. However, the school lunch program is failing to meet the nutrition needs of these students because its meals rely too heavily on meat and dairy. 

We the undersigned parents, grandparents, students, teachers, taxpayers and community members ask the Food Service Director to add daily vegan hot lunch options that are made from whole foods ingredients and are entirely plant-based. We applaud the one vegan hot lunch the district serves - vegetable chili - and want to see many more meals like this one added. http://bit.ly/2MjESm7

Whole foods, plant-based menu items meet all the USDA guidelines and are packed with flavor, fiber and nutrition. 

Other districts that have added daily vegan hot lunch options have been surprised to discover that the meals are quite popular and that most of the vegan meals are being ordered by non-vegans.

Parents and students love the Portland Public Schools and the rich, educational experience they provide. The one area where the community is not happy is hot lunch.   

Currently, only half of the students in the district order hot lunch on any given day. It's clear that the school lunch program is failing half of the district's students.  

While meat- and dairy-based meals serve the needs of some students, vegan meals are for everyone.