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Ten years ago, Jeriel Dyar of Grand Junction faced serious financial challenges, so she applied for reduced-price school meals for her daughter.

But kids from families that need assistance are often seen as impoverished and treated differently, so Dyar’s daughter would frequently skip lunch and come home hungry.

Because her daughter’s father refused to pay child support, Dyar had to choose between paying rent and other essentials, and the school lunch bill didn’t always get paid on time.

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"So what became even more humiliating for her, was when in the lunchline, of course surrounded by her friends, she was informed that her lunch account is negative," said Dyar. "‘Will you please talk to your mom, will you please let her know, so that you can keep eating lunches.’ And that was not an infrequent occurrence."

One reason Dyar said she is supporting Propositions LL and MM on this November’s ballot is to put an end to "lunchline shaming."

The measures would fully fund Colorado’s Healthy School Meals for All program, which serves free meals to all students regardless of their family’s income level.

Proposition MM would tap Coloradans earning more than $300,000 a year to eliminate a deficit created by the program’s unanticipated popularity. Proposition LL would allow the state to keep money already collected for the program.

If voters approve both measures, Colorado farmers would finally be able to count on school districts as reliable customers.

A key component of Healthy School Meals for All, approved by voters in 2022, aimed to strengthen the state’s food system and local economies, but funding fell short.

Dyar said Colorado kids would also benefit.

"When we are able to get that food sourced locally," said Dyar, "whether it’s from the orchard up the street from us or the rancher out in the farmland, that food is so much more full of nutrients because it hasn’t spent days on the road."

If voters do not approve propositions LL and MM, kids in some schools could still get free meals, but they would have to go through the same federal need-based application process.

Dyar said she believes most Coloradans understand that all kids need healthy, nutritious food to learn, grow and succeed as productive members of the community.

"We’re saying that if you are a student in Colorado," said Dyar, "you get access to free meals so that you can commit to these other things in school, rather than wondering when your next meal might be."