It is best to write your own letter or to at least include your own personal comments in the sample letter below.

Dear Editor,

I am deeply concerned about the poor quality of food sold to students in the public school district. In addition to the primarily meat-based offerings and lack of fresh fruits and vegetables, students have unlimited access to candy, cookies, potato chips, ice cream, and other fat, salt and sugar-laden junk foods.

The prevalence of overweight and obese children is increasingly steadily, year to year, with no slowdown in sight. Currently, nearly 9 million children aged 6 to 19 are considered overweight or obese, and statistically, 70 percent of these children will remain obese through adulthood.

Obesity is a serious disease with serious health consequences, including cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Annual hospital costs related to obese children costs millions each year, and adult illnesses such as Type 2 diabetes are increasingly common among children and adolescents.

Our family is very involved in nutrition; in addition to the aforementioned health concerns, we refrain from meat and dairy products for ethical reasons. At school, this leaves very limited options for my children, and other children. It is simply unfair that health-minded families have no options in the lunchroom.

The logical solution is to pass a Healthy School Lunch Resolution, similar to the one recently passed in California (ACR 16), which asks California's schools to offer daily vegetarian lunch options. I am certain that many parents in the community, and their children, see the logic and health sense in such a request. If enough citizens write their legislators and demand a Healthy School Lunch Resolution, we'll have a better chance at getting our children off to a healthy start.

Sincerely,

Your Name