Julia Bauscher

ways we can offer non-congregate feeding, meaning that the kids don't have to stay on site to consume the meal.

And I know in the last few years, JCPS has had at least three sites that can provide multiple days worth of meals to families for their students.

And I think this is kind of an outcome of COVID.

You know, when schools were closed for COVID, school food service workers showed up on the curb

at practically every school in the district to pass out meals to families.

Eventually, we were able to pass out 10 days worth of meals to families at one time.

And they kind of expanded that idea into the summer food service program because it's difficult for kids to get to a site every day.

But if we can keep them nourished during the summer, again, they show up in the classroom in August ready to learn.

Yes, yes.

Not every district participates in the summer food service program.

Some districts may not be able to recruit enough school food service employees to provide the program.

Or they live in districts where there's not as much need.

And so there's no need, overwhelming need for those programs.

But across the country, schools are participating in the summer food service program and the supper program.

And again, these programs are vital, just like the school lunch program and the school breakfast program.

Could, because to participate in the community eligibility program, it's dependent on the number of students that are eligible or the percentage of students that are eligible for free meals.

That includes households that receive Medicaid and SNAP benefits.

Those households have been categorically eligible for free meals for a number of years.

So if you reduce the number of households or you reduce

that participate in those programs, you limit the availability of participating in a program like Community Eligibility, which provides free school meals to all students similarly.