Going “back to school” amid COVID conditions is anything but normal. As health officials, parents and school leaders decide on what safe learning looks like, there is the looming question of “what’s for lunch”?
Throughout the past several months, many school districts have been able to provide grab and go lunches and sometimes breakfast to appreciative families.
In many cases, these meals are the only or most substantial nutrition a child might expect that day.
The USDA funds several meal and nutrition programs. These programs operate in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. Most provide nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free meals to children each and every school day. The original program was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946.
Seventy four years later, food insecurity for school aged kids is even greater. Roughly, 30 million students eat school lunch every day and 22 million of these children rely on free or reduced-price school lunch.
School lunch and breakfast are free for households under 130% of the federal poverty level and reduced cost for households under 185% of poverty. The Federal Poverty Line is $26,200 for a family of four in 2020.