Remembering Philando Castile as MN Passes Universal Free School Meals
The legacy of a man who wouldn’t let kids go hungry.
By Jessy Rehmann with art by Alex Kozak
Before he was killed by a police officer during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights on July 6, 2016, Philando Castile was known as a beloved cafeteria manager at a St. Paul elementary school.
Castile fostered a warm and caring community through his job at J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet School in St. Paul. He memorized the children’s names, remembered their allergies, and gave them high-fives in the lunch line.
He would also use his own money to pay for children’s meals when they couldn’t afford it.
Following the enactment of the universal free meal law that guarantees free breakfast and lunch in Minnesota public schools in March, Castile’s lasting impact must be recognized and remembered.
After his death, his mother, Valerie Castile, founded the Philando Castile Relief Foundation to continue his legacy of compassion for vulnerable families. The non-profit has offered funds and services to grieving families of gun violence victims and has also raised over $200,000 for donations toward reducing meal debt in Twin Cities metro-area schools.
“We don't know the dynamics of everyone's family. We don't know if those two meals are the only two nutritious meals that they have per day. We don't know that. But we can do our part, and make sure that they get fed,” Valerie Castile said to KARE11 after Minnesota became the fourth state with a law providing free meals in schools.
The day that the bill passed in the state Senate, Senator Clare Oumou Verbeten acknowledged the work of the Philando Castile Foundation in making school meals available to all on the Senate floor. The organization had recently made a $15,000 donation to alleviate lunch debt at Central Park Elementary School, where Oumou Verbeten was a student herself.
She also honored Castile’s memory by sharing his story of helping children at J.J. Hill. She urged senators to follow in his footsteps: “He was a beloved member of our community because he was known as ‘the lunch man’ or ‘Mr. Phil’ at J.J. Hill… he never let any of his kids go hungry. He would always step up and make sure that they had a meal. I think today we have an opportunity to step up as a state… it’s really on us to make sure that our students are fed and that they have those meals in schools.”
The new state legislation for universal school meals will replace the free and reduced-lunch programs that require families to apply for federal aid, which is granted based on annual household income. To qualify for federally-funded free lunch, a family’s income needs to meet or fall below 130% of the poverty level, or $31,980 for a family of four. For reduced-price lunch, it’s 185% of the poverty level, or $45,510 for a family of four.
In St. Paul, where Castile worked at J.J. Hill elementary school, one-third of households make under $45,000 a year, according to 2021 census data.
Many families who struggle to pay for their children’s meals fall through the cracks in the free and reduced-lunch system. They might not meet the eligibility requirements. They may not understand the application process or forget to reapply annually. There can be language barriers, and undocumented immigrants can be hesitant to enroll in a federal program.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress implemented a policy that provided students with federally-funded free lunches. However this program ended in June 2022, hurting families dealing with food insecurity as they face rising food prices.
This new law ensures that Minesotan families will no longer have to face the financial burdens that come with school meals. Valerie Castile told the Sahan Journal that she was “over the moon” about the new law and that she felt that Philando was with her as the Senate passed the bill.
Valerie Castile told the Sahan Journal: “I’m just ecstatic that they were actually listening. This is something that was needed. It’s not a handout, it’s an investment. You’re investing in Minnesota’s children.”
Phillando Castile’s legacy will forever be memorialized in the universal free meal law and the kids who grow up healthy and strong, without concern for where their next meal comes from.
Sources:
https://sahanjournal.com/education/free-school-meals-bill-minnesota-valerie-philando-castile/
https://www.philandocastilefoundation.org/giving-back.html
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/03/17/gov-signs-universal-school-meals-bill-into-law
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1269450460649834
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2023/01/11/school-lunch-debt-returns/11001874002/
https://civileats.com/2019/05/21/can-we-stop-kids-from-being-shamed-over-school-lunch-debt/
https://data.web.health.state.mn.us/lunch-metadata
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/personal-finance/free-school-meals-covid/