Feeding the Future: Latino Leadership in America’s School Food System
October 15, 2025 | By
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month and National School Lunch Week, Chef Ann Foundation Board Member David De La Rosa spoke with Latina leaders across the country about the critical role Latinos play in America’s school food system. From farm fields to cafeterias to advocacy at the policy level, their leadership is essential to feeding millions of children each day and shaping the future of school meals.
I still remember the weight of the cafeteria tray in my hands, the smell of sloppy joes filling the room, the smiling face handing me my plate, and the noise of friends rushing to sit together. I was a first-generation kid on free lunch from kindergarten to high school.
Back then, the food rarely looked or tasted like what I ate at home, but it was available, and I relied on it every day. Those meals were a promise to my family that someone beyond our home cared whether we could focus, learn, and grow.
Now I’m a dad. At my kitchen table, I hear a fork tapping a plate, a laugh between bites. I look at my family’s full bellies and think about the journey that brought us here. I also think about the larger story behind every meal: who grows our food, who cooks it, who places it on a lunch tray, and whether the kids who eat it feel like they belong. Latino families are central to this story. We are in the fields, the delivery trucks, the kitchens, the classrooms, the school board meetings, and the halls of Congress.
I still remember the weight of the cafeteria tray in my hands, the smell of sloppy joes filling the room, the smiling face handing me my plate, and the noise of friends rushing to sit together. I was a first-generation kid on free lunch from kindergarten to high school.
Back then, the food rarely looked or tasted like what I ate at home, but it was available, and I relied on it every day. Those meals were a promise to my family that someone beyond our home cared whether we could focus, learn, and grow.
Now I’m a dad. At my kitchen table, I hear a fork tapping a plate, a laugh between bites. I look at my family’s full bellies and think about the journey that brought us here. I also think about the larger story behind every meal: who grows our food, who cooks it, who places it on a lunch tray, and whether the kids who eat it feel like they belong. Latino families are central to this story. We are in the fields, the delivery trucks, the kitchens, the classrooms, the school board meetings, and the halls of Congress.
The Hungry Hand Who Feeds Us
Latinos power the food system, yet food insecurity continues to affect our communities. Today, 47 million people in the U.S. are food insecure, including nearly 14 million children. Four and a half million of those children are Latino. Latino children are twice as likely to face food insecurity than their white classmates. One in four Latino children does not have consistent access to the food they need to reach their full potential. Zuani Villarreal, Senior Director of Community Engagement at Feeding America, described what this looks like in schools. “We all know how it feels when you haven’t had lunch. You get anxious and unfocused. If you face challenges accessing food, that feeling comes with added stress because you don’t know when you’ll eat again. School nurses have told us that on Monday mornings, kids were showing up with headaches because they hadn’t eaten all weekend.” This reality plays out in schools every day, which is why school meals are so essential.
The Hungry Hand Who Feeds Us
Latinos power the food system, yet food insecurity continues to affect our communities. Today, 47 million people in the U.S. are food insecure, including nearly 14 million children. Four and a half million of those children are Latino. Latino children are twice as likely to face food insecurity than their white classmates. One in four Latino children does not have consistent access to the food they need to reach their full potential. Zuani Villarreal, Senior Director of Community Engagement at Feeding America, described what this looks like in schools. “We all know how it feels when you haven’t had lunch. You get anxious and unfocused. If you face challenges accessing food, that feeling comes with added stress because you don’t know when you’ll eat again. School nurses have told us that on Monday mornings, kids were showing up with headaches because they hadn’t eaten all weekend.” This reality plays out in schools every day, which is why school meals are so essential.
Mothers at the Frontlines
Latina mothers are driving change in school food from the ground up. They push districts and policymakers to act, fighting for relevant, healthy meals and defending the programs that keep millions of children fed. Xochitl Oseguera, Vice President of MamásConPoder, works with mothers across the country to show them how to educate legislators, testify at school board meetings, collect signatures in support of universal school meals, and make issues such as food insecurity visible. “We want decision makers to understand the harms when a child goes through the day without food,” Xochitl said.
For these mothers, advocacy is about more than nutrition. It is about health, identity, and stability. “When we have culturally relevant meals, kids feel proud of who they are,” she explained. “They see their culture not as intrusive but as belonging.” She calls the cafeteria a “second kitchen,” a trusted space where parents know their children are nourished while they work.
Mothers at the Frontlines
Latina mothers are driving change in school food from the ground up. They push districts and policymakers to act, fighting for relevant, healthy meals and defending the programs that keep millions of children fed. Xochitl Oseguera, Vice President of MamásConPoder, works with mothers across the country to show them how to educate legislators, testify at school board meetings, collect signatures in support of universal school meals, and make issues such as food insecurity visible. “We want decision makers to understand the harms when a child goes through the day without food,” Xochitl said.
For these mothers, advocacy is about more than nutrition. It is about health, identity, and stability. “When we have culturally relevant meals, kids feel proud of who they are,” she explained. “They see their culture not as intrusive but as belonging.” She calls the cafeteria a “second kitchen,” a trusted space where parents know their children are nourished while they work.
Fear Shouldn’t Decide Who Eats
School food professionals bring essential knowledge to how school food works, from what children will eat to how cafeteria systems operate and how culture belongs on a lunch tray. Their voices are critical for shaping effective programs, but political fear and systemic barriers often keep our Latino colleagues from fully participating.
Benavides spoke about how national rhetoric and shifting immigration policies have created a climate of fear. Some families avoid engaging with schools altogether. Oseguera described parents who hesitate to attend meetings or share information because of immigration raids and family separations. This fear reaches the cafeteria, influencing whether families feel safe filling out forms for free and reduced-price meals.
Language and bureaucratic hurdles make the problem worse. Many schools lack translated materials and dedicated staff to explain how the meal and federal reimbursement programs work. “When these programs change, fewer families seek help.” Villarreal explained, “Fear prevents families from accessing resources, particularly in immigrant and Latino communities.”
Fear Shouldn’t Decide Who Eats
School food professionals bring essential knowledge to how school food works, from what children will eat to how cafeteria systems operate and how culture belongs on a lunch tray. Their voices are critical for shaping effective programs, but political fear and systemic barriers often keep our Latino colleagues from fully participating.
Benavides spoke about how national rhetoric and shifting immigration policies have created a climate of fear. Some families avoid engaging with schools altogether. Oseguera described parents who hesitate to attend meetings or share information because of immigration raids and family separations. This fear reaches the cafeteria, influencing whether families feel safe filling out forms for free and reduced-price meals.
Language and bureaucratic hurdles make the problem worse. Many schools lack translated materials and dedicated staff to explain how the meal and federal reimbursement programs work. “When these programs change, fewer families seek help.” Villarreal explained, “Fear prevents families from accessing resources, particularly in immigrant and Latino communities.”
I know the impact of school meals because I lived it. As a free lunch kid, I remember what it felt like to stand in the line every day, not by choice but by necessity, knowing that the meal would get me through the afternoon. The menu rarely reflected the flavors of home, but if it had, I would have chosen those meals in a heartbeat. These experiences shaped how I think about food today.
As an adult, I have the privilege to choose what I eat. As a parent, I take seriously my responsibility to ensure my child has the same choice. My hope is simple: that my child—and every child—can sit down to the table with a full plate, one that nourishes them and reflects who they are. That is the future we should build together.
About the author: David De La Rosa is on the Chef Ann Foundation Board of Directors and the founder and managing partner at Brava Management.
I know the impact of school meals because I lived it. As a free lunch kid, I remember what it felt like to stand in the line every day, not by choice but by necessity, knowing that the meal would get me through the afternoon. The menu rarely reflected the flavors of home, but if it had, I would have chosen those meals in a heartbeat. These experiences shaped how I think about food today.
As an adult, I have the privilege to choose what I eat. As a parent, I take seriously my responsibility to ensure my child has the same choice. My hope is simple: that my child—and every child—can sit down to the table with a full plate, one that nourishes them and reflects who they are. That is the future we should build together.
About the author: David De La Rosa is on the Chef Ann Foundation Board of Directors and the founder and managing partner at Brava Management.
