Proclamation 4523—National School Lunch Week, 1977

Since 1946, the National School Lunch Program has been serving nutritious lunches to the school children of America. In its first year, the program served lunch to 6 million children daily; today nearly 25 million children in 92,600 schools and residential child care institutions take advantage of this program every day. Lunches under this program are available to 94 percent of all children attending public schools in America.

As the program begins its fourth decade, its dedicated workers are making a significant effort to improve the nutritional quality and appeal of the food while developing menus in keeping with the changing tastes of our children. Those involved in the program maintain their commitment to recognize the children's needs in order to serve them better.

In recognition of the program's contribution to America's youth, the Congress, by a joint resolution of October 9, 1962 (76 Stat. 779; 36 U.S.C. 168), has designated the week beginning the second Sunday of October of each year as National School Lunch Week, and has requested the President to issue annually a proclamation calling for its appropriate observance.

Now, Therefore, I, Jimmy Carter, President of the United States of America, do hereby urge the people of the United States to observe the week of October 9, 1977, as National School Lunch Week and to give special recognition to the role of good nutrition in building a stronger America through its youth.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred seventy-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and second.

JIMMY CARTER