All Houston ISD Students To Receive 3 Free Meals Per Day This School Year

HOUSTON, TX — All Houston ISD students will eat for free during the 2017-18 school year thanks to a waiver of the required application process for the National School Lunch/Breakfast Program from the United States Department of Agriculture and the Texas Department of Agriculture. With so many families in distress and some without homes after Hurricane Harvey, this is a more than kind gesture for families watching their wallets.

“The flooding that is affecting the city of Houston has been devastating to so many. Some of the areas that are the hardest hit are filled with working parents whose limited funds will need to go toward recovery efforts,” said Houston ISD Superintendent Richard Carranza. “This waiver will give our families one less concern as the begin the process of restoring their lives. It will also provide a sense of normalcy by allowing students to have access to up to three nutritious meals each and every school day.”

The waiver will take effect immediately, allowing students to take advantage of free meals when school resumes.

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“It will take months, possibly years for the city to recover. We expect families to be displaced, students to attend new schools, and many of them possibly using alternative ways to travel to and from school,” said Nutrition Services Officer Betti Wiggins. “We want to reduce any stress connected to food while families work toward getting their personal affairs in order. All HISD students will have access to good food, made with as many local and fresh ingredients as possible and served with love and a smile.”

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Earlier this year, HISD certified 191 schools to participate in the Community Eligibility Program — giving nearly 123,955 students access to free lunch and breakfast. Just last week, the Texas Department of Agriculture approved the district’s application to offer free supper to all of the district’s students. This latest announcement supports the district’s goals of reducing food insecurity and providing food to as many students as possible.

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Photo: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has lunch with elementary school kids on Monday, May 1, 2017. Perdue and Sen. Pat Roberts were at the school to unveil an interim rule 'designed to provide flexibility for school meals.

Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images