Latest news with #SchoolBreakfastProgram
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
KHSD to offer free meals for children, teens this summer
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The Kern High School District announced a free meal program for students in the month of June. KHSD said it will offer free breakfast and lunch to all students between the ages of 2 and 18. The program will begin June 2 and continue through June 27. Students do not need to be enrolled in a KHSD school to join the free meal program, according to KHSD. All meals must be consumed on campus. Bill to prevent California school defunding amid immigration raids passes Assembly 19 KHSD schools will provide breakfast from 9:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., and lunch from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Arvin BHS Del Oro East Bakersfield Foothill Golden Valley Highland Independence Kern Valley Mira Monte North Ridgeview Shafter South Stockdale West Nueva Tierra Del Sol Vista The schools with different schedules are as follows: Centennial Breakfast – 9:15 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Lunch – 11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. ABLE Breakfast – 8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. Lunch – 11:30 a.m. – noon RCC Breakfast – 8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. Lunch – 11:30 a.m. – noon Vista West Breakfast – 8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. Lunch – noon – 12:30 p.m. The meals will be provided through the federally funded Seamless Summer Option of the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, according to the school district. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
IDEA Public Schools to offer free meals to children this summer
PERMIAN BASIN, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – IDEA Public Schools' Child Nutrition Program (CNP) is excited to announce they will be serving FREE meals during the summer to any child in the community aged 18 years and younger beginning Monday, June 2, whether they are an IDEA student or not. IDEA Travis will serve breakfast and lunch beginning Monday, June 2 through June 27th. IDEA Yukon will serve breakfast and lunch beginning Monday, June 2 through July 31. The offering is made possible through the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. According to Feeding America, nearly 1 in 5 children in the state of Texas face hunger. The free meals are part of IDEA's commitment to local communities to help promote a healthy and active lifestyle through the Seamless Summer Meals Option. For the children who rely on school meals during the academic year, these meals offer a source of good nutrition when school is out for the long summer vacation. 'We know nutrition is essential for all children in our community—not just during the school year, but throughout the summer as well,' said Fernando Aguilar, Vice President of the Child Nutrition Program at IDEA Public Schools. 'With nearly 1.7 million children in Texas at risk of hunger this summer, we're proud continue helping fill that gap by providing nutritious meals that ease the financial strain on families during the break.' The summer meals will include breakfast and lunch and must be consumed in the cafeteria of any IDEA campus Monday through Friday. Breakfast will be served from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Food service will be closed on federal holidays, June 20 and from June 30 through July 4. Families seeking more information regarding summer meals on campus may contact the cafeteria manager at any IDEA campus. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NV families will start receiving summer EBT food benefits this month
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Last year, the S-EBT program delivered about $37 million in benefits to nearly 312,000 children, with about 80% of those benefits being fully utilized. (Photo by) Thousands of children in Nevada will start receiving federal nutrition benefits designed to cover school meals missed during summer vacation this month. About 280,000 children in Nevada will automatically receive a one-time payment of $120 starting May 17, thanks to a federal nutrition program known as the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (S-EBT). Congress passed bipartisan legislation in late 2022, making S-EBT permanent for states that opt-in, including Nevada. The federal program now permanently provides families with $40 each summer month per eligible child to buy food at grocery stores, farmers markets, or other authorized retailers. Last year, the S-EBT program delivered about $37 million in benefits to nearly 312,000 children, with about 80% of those benefits being fully utilized. In order to automatically qualify for the S-EBT program, a child must attend a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program and be eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Children who qualify for free or reduced-price meals due to their participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) will also automatically qualify for S-EBT, even if they do not attend a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program. Children on Medicaid in a household with an income at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level also automatically qualify for S-EBT, regardless of which school they attend. Children participating in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) can also be automatically eligible for the S-EBT program. Families can check to see if their child was automatically enrolled into the program through an online portal at Access Nevada starting May 17. Not automatically eligible? Apply anyway. Households that are not automatically eligible are still encouraged to apply for the S-EBT program starting May 17, when applications open on the Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services website. While most Nevada Summer EBT eligible families will automatically receive the Summer EBT benefit, there is a group of income eligible families that must submit an application. Last year, a total of 6,347 families not automatically eligible for S-EBT applied for the program, according to the Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services. Of those applicants, 2,690 were ultimately determined eligible for the summer food benefits, or about 42% of all applicants. David Rubel, a New York City-based education consultant, said even more families were likely eligible last year, but never applied. He found that only 9% of potentially eligible households in Nevada submitted applications, leaving about $8.4 million in benefits on the table. 'Only a handful of Summer EBT eligible families submitted applications last year,' Rubel said. 'Using a formula from USDA, the potential number was 70,400 families.' However, those funds are now lost. S-EBT is a one-time benefit tied to a specific school year and cannot be retroactively applied for or claimed for previous years, according to the Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services. 'The Summer EBT money won't get distributed and spent this summer unless families know about it,' Rubel said. Nevada wasn't the only state to lose out on benefits. Rubel looked at 14 states' potential number of applications vs. applications submitted and found that the percentage of applications submitted in every state was less than 20% of potential applicants. How benefits will be distributed Eligible households that participate in SNAP or TANF will automatically receive their S-EBT benefits starting May 17 on existing EBT cards if the guardian listed by the Nevada Department of Education in the Summer 2024 program file remains the same. Families that qualified last year can also receive benefits on their existing S-EBT cards issued last year, the program's inaugural year. Families that need a replacement card can request a replacement S-EBT card from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services Division of Welfare and Supportive Services. Replacement S-EBT cards may take 2-3 weeks to receive. Children receiving benefits for the first time will be mailed a S-EBT card to the address of the guardian listed in the school's registration system for the 2024-2025 school year. Mailed S-EBT cards may take 2-3 weeks to receive. S-EBT benefits expire 122 days after they become available. If the benefits are not used within 122 days, they will be removed from the card and cannot be replaced, per federal regulations. For additional details on eligibility, benefit usage timelines, or how to apply, families are encouraged to visit the DWSS Summer EBT webpage and review the program FAQs.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Woonsocket School District awarded $25K grant for kitchen upgrades
Apr. 3—WOONSOCKET, S.D. — In school cafeterias, a good meal can be the difference between a sluggish afternoon and a productive day. Thanks to a $25,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service, Woonsocket School District is upgrading its kitchen with state-of-the-art equipment that will improve the quality, nutrition and efficiency of meals served to students. The funding, awarded through the National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance grants, will allow the school to purchase two six-pan Unox combi ovens. These ovens will enhance meal preparation by ensuring food is cooked evenly, improving food safety and allowing for healthier cooking methods, such as steaming fresh vegetables. The National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance grants are designed to provide funds for schools to purchase food service equipment. The equipment they purchase must be used to serve healthier meals, improve food safety and/or help to support the establishment, maintenance or expansion of the School Breakfast Program. "A well-rounded school meal program can be a vital contributor to a school's success," said George Seamon, interim director of the Department of Education's Child and Adult Nutrition Services. "These grants will help the Aberdeen and Woonsocket school districts make kitchen upgrades that ultimately benefit students and staff." The grant is part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, which allocated $10 million nationwide to support schools participating in the National School Lunch Program. Woonsocket is one of two South Dakota districts to receive funding, with Aberdeen School District awarded $8,832.44. Jessica Anderson, Woonsocket's Food Service Director, applied for the grant after seeing an increasing demand in the school's meal program. As student enrollment continues to grow, so has participation in school breakfasts and lunches. "With that increase, the need to prepare larger amounts of food has also grown," Anderson said. "Our current equipment just isn't able to handle that demand efficiently. If we fill our oven completely, the food doesn't cook evenly, which decreases the quality and safety of what we serve." The new combi ovens are designed to provide more precise cooking, ensuring that food is cooked thoroughly and at the right temperature. "A new combi oven will improve the quality of school meals through a more efficient cooking process," Anderson explained. "The sealed chamber, combined with better heat exchangers and airflow, will allow for faster and more even cooking." One of the biggest advantages of the new combi ovens is their ability to steam fresh vegetables while preserving their nutritional value. "This oven will give us the opportunity to prepare fresh vegetables using steam, which will help keep them tasty and appealing," Anderson said. "Children are said to 'eat with their eyes,' so by making vegetables look more attractive, we have the potential to increase participation in our lunch program." In addition to steaming, the combi oven will allow food service staff to poach, roast, bake, blanch, rethermalize and proof dough, greatly expanding menu options. "There are some recipes we'd love to try that require proofing pastry dough, but right now, we just don't have the equipment to do that," Anderson said. "This grant is giving us the tools to expand what we offer to students and provide high-quality meals that meet nutritional guidelines while tasting great." Woonsocket School District also participates in South Dakota's Farm to School program, which connects schools with local farmers and ranchers to provide fresh, locally sourced ingredients for student meals. Since 2023, donated beef has been processed for school lunches, while fresh fruits and vegetables add variety and nutrition. According to Anderson, the program supports local agriculture while ensuring high-quality meals for students. However, with the USDA cutting funding for Farm to School and Beef to School programs, the district's ability to continue next year remains uncertain. The new ovens will be installed in time for the 2025-2026 school year, bringing noticeable changes to the school's meal program. Anderson hopes the students and staff will appreciate the improved meal quality, particularly the fresher, more appealing steamed vegetables. Beyond improving meals, the grant also provides financial relief for the district. "Receiving these grant funds means we don't have to take money from an already tight budget to purchase this equipment," Anderson said. "With food costs continuing to rise, it becomes harder to find available funds for kitchen upgrades. This grant makes a huge difference for our program and, ultimately, for our students." The Woonsocket School District currently serves 275 students in grades PreK-12, and with these kitchen upgrades, the school hopes to continue enhancing the meal program to better serve its growing student population. "My main goal is to always put a high-quality product on the plate — something that meets guidelines, looks good, and tastes great," Anderson said. "I want all of our students to participate in our meal program, enjoy what we serve, and leave the cafeteria feeling full and ready to take on the rest of their day."
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
School lunch bill fails in House appropriations
SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO) — A bill that would allow the state to reimburse schools to pay for students reduced lunch failed to make it through the House Committee on Appropriations Monday. The bill was sent to the 41st legislative day, effectively killing it, by a vote of 5-4. House Bill 1089 would cover meal copays for reduced-price eligible students. The bill targets students from families that are already eligible for the reduced lunch program, earning between 130% and 185% of the federal poverty level. The bill if passed would cover their 40-cent lunch and 30-cent breakfast copays. The bill states the Department of Education shall, with monies appropriated in the General Appropriations Act, reimburse each school district for costs incurred by the district in providing meals to students who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals pursuant to this section, less any amount reimbursed through the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program. The Bureau of Finance and Management estimates show a $616,000 annual cost. Democrat Rep. Erik Muckey said while he understands that this is a budget year for the legislature, the Democratic caucus has made this a top priority. Muckey was the only lawmaker to speak on Tuesday. 'We are talking about challenges in our schools as far as covering costs and making sure we are taking care of our students, this is a really effective way taking care of some of our poorer students,' Muckey said. 'This is an important priority for our kids, especially in a year where we are talking about making reductions teacher pay.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
