USDA extends free meals for students through end of current school year

President Trump signs resolution for students to receive free meals, other flexibilities through June 2021
 
On Friday, Oct. 9, the USDA extended its Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option through June 30 of next year. The extension of these projects was done so in order to continue allowing schools to provide meals at no cost to students. The program was previously extended through December of 2020, which was done so based on funding available at the time, but are now able to extend throughout the remainder of the 2020-21 school year, following a resolution signed into law by President Trump on Oct. 1, 2020.
Included in the extension of this program is:
- Allowing SFSP and SSO meals to be served in all areas and at no cost;
- Permitting meals to be served outside of the typically required group settings and meal times;
- Waiving of meal pattern requirements, as necessary; and
- Allowing parents and guardians to pick-up meals for their children.
“As our nation recovers and reopens, we want to ensure that children continue to receive the nutritious breakfasts and lunches they count on during the school year wherever they are, and however they are learning,” said U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue.
 “We are grateful for the heroic efforts by our school food service professionals who are consistently serving healthy meals to kids during these trying times, and we know they need maximum flexibility right now. I appreciate President Trump for his unwavering commitment to ensuring kids receive the food they need during this pandemic and for supporting USDA in continuing to provide these unprecedented flexibilities.”