Local families could collectively save more than $250,000 thanks to a federal program paying for free school meals until possibly the end of December.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food …
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Local families could collectively save more than $250,000 thanks to a federal program paying for free school meals until possibly the end of December.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service announced this month that it would expand a food assistance program to provide meals for children, regardless of family income, until funding for the program runs out. USDA estimates it has enough funds for the remainder of this year.
The meal program is part of the federal effort to provide economic relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the Wright City R-II and Warren County R-III school districts, school meals will be provided for free to more than 4,600 students.
Wright City Superintendent Dr. Chris Berger said districts still need to meet a threshold percentage of low-income families to receive the federal assistance. He said a little over 40 percent of the district’s 1,600 qualify for a state-funded free or reduced-price lunch program.
Berger said the R-II district expects to receive an increase of $50,000 in government funding this semester to pay for the additional free lunches.
“It’s a huge benefit for every family in the district,” Berger commented. He said the funding will also help pay for extra staff time that’s being spent individually packaging meals as an additional health measure.
Meals are also available for at-home students to pick up from West Elementary on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Even though all meals are currently free, Berger encouraged every parent to fill out forms for the free and reduced-price lunch program for next semester.
“Sometimes eligible people don’t think that they qualify. ... It’s worth your while to fill out the application,” Berger commented.
He added that other state funding for the district can be impacted by the free-and-reduced lunch numbers, making it even more important to get that information.
Warren County R-III Superintendent Dr. Gregg Klinginsmith said school districts aren’t actually making more money than they normally would. The extra government funding is just replacing what families would have paid for lunches this semester.
“We are anticipated to receive about $200,000 additional (federal) funds. This will offset what the district would normally receive from parents paying for their meals,” Klinginsmith said. “The revenue for the district will be about the same.”
The R-III district has a little less than 3,100 students enrolled, with around 50 percent normally receiving free or reduced-price lunches, Klinginsmith said.
For at-home students in the R-III district, families can come to the student’s school to pick up meals. The district also announced that meals will be dropped off at bus stops once per week beginning Sept. 15.
“The key thing for families is, you don’t have to pay for lunch,” until the end of this year, Klinginsmith commented. “Families who are looking to save a few dollars, you don’t have to pack their lunch, just send them to school and we’ll take care of them.”
