Schools in Clark, Champaign Counties providing free meals for students, community through December

Schools in Clark and Champaign Counties will continue to provide free meals to students likely through the end of the year.

The meals are an extension of the federal summer meals programs that allow for students and anyone in the community that is 18 years or younger to receive free meals.

“We are so thankful that this extension has been granted and look forward to feeding students in school daily for free. Being able to provide meals to our eLearning families and other children 18 and under in the community is now possible as well,” said Danielle Prohaska, Superintendent of Mechanicsburg Exempted Village Schools.

The district will have meals available for in person learning students in the cafeteria and for online learning students, who will pre-order, at the eLearning pick-up area starting Sept. 14.

Tecumseh Local Schools offer a Lunch Bus Program, which will be free starting Monday, Sept. 14, to distribute weekly breakfast and lunches to students in the district between 10:45 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday for the New Carlisle area, Wednesday for the Park Layne area, and Thursday for the Medway/Donnelsville area. Exact locations are listed on the district’s website.

All students can pick up five free breakfasts and lunches from the buses per week. The student or the parent will need to provide the name of the student, building he or she attends and the four-digit pin number to receive the free food.

In addition to Urbana’s free breakfast program, free lunch will now be available starting on Monday, Sept. 14. The district said extra entrees and a la cart items will also still be available for purchase.

Springfield City Schools is offering five breakfast and five lunch meals per week to each virtual learning student from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Wednesdays.

Parents or guardians can pick up meals based on the home school of their residence at either the District Service Center, 651 E. Home Road, for Horace Mann, Lagonda, Simon Kenton, Snowhill, Warder Park, Roosevelt, Schaefer and Springfield High School, or at The School of Innovation, 601 Selma Road, for Fulton, Kenwood, Lincoln, Perrin Woods, Snyder Park, Hayward and The School of Innovation.

Other districts that will allow students to get free meals include Southeastern, Graham and Triad Local Schools.

This extended program will allow Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option meals to be served in all areas at no cost, permit meals to be served outside of the group setting and meal times, waive meal requirements, and allow parents or guardians to pick-up meals for their children.

This program will run through at least Dec. 31, or until available funding runs out.

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