NHCS extends Summer Meal Service through end of August

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — New Hanover County Schools has extended Summer Meal Service through the end of the month.

The program continues to be offered at no cost for children 18 years and younger and meals will include lunch and breakfast for the following day.

The NHCS Child Nutrition Department is working with neighborhoods that have been receiving bus delivery of meals to organize walk-up service at the additional 30 school sites.

Beginning September 1, NHCS is required to operate under the National School Lunch Program. Under this program, students must be enrolled in NHCS to receive a meal.

Parents/guardians or students can pick up meals at any of the 44 Curbside Grab & Go locations and are required to provide the student’s name or PowerSchool/lunch number to receive a meal. Students who qualify for free or reduced lunch will receive meals for free and any student attending a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school will be eligible for free meals. Meal prices will be applied to student accounts for families who do not qualify for free or reduced lunch or students who do not attend a CEP school.

While National School Lunch Program requirements do not allow NHCS to continue bus delivery to neighborhood sites, the district is hopeful that they will continue to reach the students that have been served since March.

“Through Curbside Grab & Go and the Summer Meal Program, we’re approaching 1 million meals served,” says Eddie Anderson, Assistant Superintendent of Operations. “We want to surpass that number and we know that these statewide requirements will reduce our ability to do that. We are expanding the number of school sites from 9 to 44, and we are discussing  other options to expand delivery with community organizations like the YMCA, Community Boys & Girls Club, and Brigade Boys & Girls Club. We’ll continue to work together to deliver meals to as many children as we can.”

Call (910) 254-4212 or visit here for a list of meal service sites and additional information about the Curbside Grad & Go meal program.

For more information about food assistance resources, contact the Cape Fear Food Council at Cape Fear Food Council.