There are two programs that provide meals at either reduced prices or for free across the United States, those being the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program.
Even over the summer break, the Summer Food Service Program provides free breakfast and lunch, while children who attend schools without meal programs may be given milk.
The National School Lunch Program
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) operates in almost 100,000 public and nonprofit private schools (grades Pre-Kindergarten-12) and residential child care facilities, offering low-cost or free lunches to children. Before the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, in the financial year (FY) 2019, the program served 4.9 billion lunches for a total of 14.2 billion dollars.
The NSLP is managed by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), which also pays participating schools and residential child care facilities for the meals they provide to pupils. Any pupil at a participating school is eligible to receive an NSLP meal. Students from these families will be eligible:
- Free lunches are available to those who fall within 130 percent of the federal poverty threshold.
- A reduced-price lunch can be obtained by anyone making between 130 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level.
- A low-cost, full-price meal is available to anyone who makes more than 185 percent of the federal poverty threshold.
The School Breakfast Program
The School Breakfast Program (SBP) normally operates in over 90,000 public and…
