USDA Extends Universal Free Lunch Program
Apr 21, 2021, 1:47 PM
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U-S Department of Agriculture announced the extension of its universal free lunch program.
Waivers for the children nutrition program were set to expire at the end of September but they will now go through the full 2021-2022 school year.
The program serves more than 12-million children who don’t know when they will get their next meal.
We issued a broad range of flexibilities to allow school meal programs & childcare institutions across the country to return to serving healthy meals in Fall 2021. Nutrition standards return with options & resources to support safety & social distancing https://t.co/ifWklJpXCx
— Dept. of Agriculture (@USDA) April 20, 2021
It was first introduced at the beginning of the pandemic to help the millions of families who were facing financial hardship.
The universal free lunch program allows kids to eat outside of normal group meal times.