Not only are students at Boulder and Basin elementary schools and Jefferson High School getting breakfast and lunch delivered to the classroom — the meals are now free through the end of December.
The classroom deliveries are due to COVID-19, but the free meals are due to eligibility waivers being extended on the USDA summer food service programs, according to information provided by the Montana Office for Public Instruction.
To receive the waiver, a district must show a demonstrated need, such as an increase in children eligible for benefits due to COVID-19.
It was COVID-19, said Rochelle Hesford, who operates the summer food program.
“We want to support the families through this pandemic and help alleviate financial stress. The schools can help by offering free meals. The opportunity came up, and we jumped on it,” she said.
When school started this month at Boulder Elementary, the food services division was feeding 50 students for breakfast and about 60 for lunch, and that has now increased to more than 70 breakfasts and 90 lunches, said Hesford.
Hesford said lunches have increased slightly at JHS, and that is expected to go up as the weather gets colder. The number of students receiving meals has remained the same at Basin, she said.
To obtain a meal, students indicate to their teachers if one is desired that day, said Boulder Elementary School Principal and Superintendent Maria Pace.
Families that had already pre-paid for meals will be reimbursed, she said.
Students can also sign up for meals on Fridays, said Hesford.
Currently the school cafeterias are closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to Pace.
