Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 students now have access to free lunch and breakfast for what will likely be the rest of 2020.
The United State Department of Agriculture announced last week that free-meal programs typically implemented during the summer months will now be extended through Dec. 31, 2020.
Stephanie Smith, USD 383 child-nutrition director, says the end date of this program is dependent on how much federal funding remains.
“Based on the figures that they’ve run, they feel confident that we’ll be able to run this program through the end of December, but there’s no guarantee that we’ll be able to go through that whole time period,” Smith said.
This program, which has been in place since March, gives students access to free meals regardless of their financial situation or whether they are attending class in a remote or hybrid format.
Smith says she thinks access to free meals is beneficial to families.
“Especially currently with so much unknown and the cost of groceries has gone up and just a lot of uncertainty with families on income,” Smith said.
Students wanting to pick up meals on days when they are taking remote classes need to sign up on a weekly basis. This can be done at mypaymentsplus.com.
More information about USD 383 child-nutrition programs and operations can be found on the USD 383 Child Nutrition Department’s Facebook page.
