Latest news with #NationalSchoolLunch
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Summer EBT Benefits coming to families with eligible school children
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WHNT) — The Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) in partnership with the Alabama State Department of Education is providing a way for school children to remain fed this summer. Officials plan to distribute Alabama SUN Bucks also known as 'Summer EBT' benefits to eligible children this summer, as part of a new federal program. Alabama SUN Bucks will provide a one-time issuance of $120 per school-aged child for grocery benefits for the summer to low-income families. According to officials, Alabama SUN Bucks will be automatically issued to school-aged children who have been approved by application or direct certification and attending a school that offers the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Programs. Huntsville City Schools to offer free meals to children during summer learning activities Children that are directly certified through the ALSDE in programs such as SNAP, TANF or Medicaid will be automatically eligible for Alabama SUN Bucks. If children aren't enrolled automatically, they may still apply for Alabama SUN Bucks by clicking here. Students receiving free meals through the Community Eligibility Provision will not automatically qualify; however, students may still be eligible for the benefits based on the household's income. 'The summer break can be challenging for families when children are at home and spending increases because children and youth are not in school and receiving benefits,' said Alabama DHR Commissioner Nancy Buckner. 'This additional money will help families across the state make it through summer break while also encouraging healthy and nutritious eating. Alabama SUN Bucks are accepted at grocery stores, farmers' markets, convenience stores, and online retailers. Alabama SUN Bucks can buy most SNAP-eligible foods, except hot and prepared foods. Alabama SUN Bucks benefits will start being sent in June 2025. Families that need to apply can do so anytime. Applications will be reviewed in May 2025. A letter about your child's eligibility will be sent to you if you applied or are automatically eligible. An Alabama SUN Bucks card will be issued for students who qualify for the program. Alabama SUN Bucks customer service representatives are available to answer Summer EBT questions Monday-Friday. Please contact the representatives by phone at 1-800-443-3536. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
22-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
East Aurora renews food service contracts for next school year
On Monday, the East Aurora School District 131 school board approved the renewal of the district's food service provider contracts for next year. The district uses Whitsons Nutrition, a food service management company based in Islandia, New York, to provide meals for all of its elementary schools and for Cowherd Middle School, according to Monday's meeting agenda. They use Sodexo America in North Bethesda, Maryland, to provide meals for the district's middle schools as well as East Aurora High School. This is the first renewal of five one-year agreements the district has entered into with the providers, the district's Chief Financial Officer Michael Engel said at Monday's meeting. All meal prices will be raised by 3%, according to the contract renewal agreements with the two providers. Per a memo from Engel to the district superintendent, increases may not exceed the Consumer Price Index-Food Away from Home rate, which is currently 3.6%. For example, Whitsons' price for breakfast will increase from $2.42 to $2.49, and lunch will increase from approximately $4 to $4.11, according to the contract. For Sodexo, breakfast will increase from approximately $2.20 to $2.27, and lunch will go from roughly $4.22 to $4.34, as outlined in the contract approved Monday. The contracts were approved unanimously at the meeting, with board member Bruce Schubert absent. District Superintendent Robert Halverson was also absent Monday. East Aurora participates in the Community Eligibility Program, according to the district website, a meal-pricing option that's part of the National School Lunch program. The program allows school districts with high poverty levels to serve breakfast and lunch to all students without collecting household applications, according to the USDA. After paying for the meals, the district is '100% reimbursed by the USDA, by the federal government, for (the) breakfast, lunch, supper and snack program throughout the district,' according to Engel. The reimbursement rates for the next fiscal year have not yet been released, according to Engel's memo, but the reimbursement rate this past school year for districts with high need was $4.54 for lunch and $2.84 for breakfast, according to the Illinois State Board of Education — meaning next year's rates for both food service companies fall below those rates. Both contracts note, however, that prices must be quoted 'as if no USDA commodities will be received.' And, with the possibility of funding cuts to schools by President Donald Trump's administration, the future of some federal funding remains uncertain. For example, in March, the United States Department of Agriculture said it was ending two pandemic-era programs that provided over $1 billion for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farmers. The Local Food for Schools program represented more than half of that money. The Illinois State Board of Education had signed an agreement in January to continue the Local Food for Schools program, but is now set to lose that funding after Jan. 31, 2026, the state board said in March. Later in March, Trump signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the Department of Education. But, while the extent to which possible Trump administration cuts to USDA funding for school meals or the Department of Education comes to bear on East Aurora and other school districts remains to be seen, District 131 said they do not anticipate any interruptions to school meal funding for the 2025-26 year, a district spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday. 'There has been some governmental, kind of, changes within (the USDA commodities), that they're sometimes on the table, off the table, but for next year, we're still going forward,' Engel said at Monday's meeting. 'I can't guess or foresee what the U.S. government's going to do in fiscal year (2027) coming up after that, but as of right now we are planning to use the USDA commodities going forward.'
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The Largest Beef Recall To Hit The US, Explained
The businesses that raise cattle and produce beef in the U.S. must adhere to strict rules and regulations. These rules not only protect consumers, but they also safeguard animals against needless cruelty, which is precisely what occurred in a California-based meat-packing facility in 2007. According to footage disseminated by the Humane Society, staff members at Hallmark Meat Packing plant were seen using brutal methods to cajole weakened, potentially sick cows to slaughter. This plant was providing meat to the Westland Meat Company, which in turn was distributing the beef to National School Lunch programs as well as families and elderly individuals in need. The actions of Hallmark Meat Packing resulted in a massive recall of 143 million pounds of beef — the largest in the nation's history. Despite the recall, many potentially sick cows were slaughtered, and the resulting beef was distributed. Fortunately, no illnesses were linked to the meat prior to the animal abuse issue coming to light. While the incident doesn't rank among the most deadly recalled foods in American history (a list that does include Boar's Head deli meat and certain brands of cantaloupe), the cruelty exhibited toward the cattle was appalling and ultimately led to a massive judgement of $497 million, the highest amount ever awarded for animal abuse. Due to the expenses associated with the recall, Hallmark Meat Packing eventually filed for bankruptcy. Read more: Sausage Brands Made With The Highest & Lowest Quality Ingredients While the actions of the staff at Hallmark Meat Packing were inherently offensive, they also violated federal statutes. So-called "downer cattle" — cows that are incapable of standing — could be released for slaughter provided that Food Safety and Inspection Service veterinarians designated them safe for consumption after examination. This assessment of downer cattle was important for preventing contaminated meat from making its way into the food supply. In particular, the risk of mad cow disease was especially worrisome due to the seriousness of these infections. Also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, mad cow is a type of prion disease that is fatal for cows, but it can also lead to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans (though the risk is admittedly small). Because Hallmark Meat Packing did not take the crucial step of having approved vets evaluate downer cattle prior to slaughter, the company was pressured to enact its voluntary recall by the Department of Agriculture. Additionally, the actions of the meat-packing facility led to a change in federal law mandating the culling of downer cattle in all circumstances. The deplorable conditions at Hallmark/Westland meatpacking facility were a far cry from the recommended standards for animals. Many animal welfare advocates look to the five freedoms for guidance on these matters, standards established by British professor Roger Brambell in 1965. According to the five freedoms, animals must be free from hunger and thirst; free from discomfort; free from pain, injury, or disease; free to express normal behavior; and free from fear and distress. While the five freedoms are British in origin, they're indispensable to numerous organizations, agencies, and groups. They also play a crucial role in audits and evaluations conducted at facilities where livestock is processed. According to the American Humane Society, the five freedoms represent a global "gold standard in animal welfare" because they ensure that an animal's basic needs are met while also establishing an environment that supports optimal physical and mental health. Raising cattle humanely is simply the right thing to do from an ethical perspective, but it also offers many other benefits. Raising cattle on grass instead of grain reduces a beef producer's carbon footprint and helps maintain the natural ecosystem surrounding the cattle. Additionally, businesses can benefit from the use of humane methods because many consumers insist on buying products from companies that implement humane standards for animals. Eliminating an animal's stress is also vital for preserving food safety. Stressed cattle have a higher chance of experiencing immune dysfunction, which can prevent animals from effectively fighting off diseases. While you're more likely to get food poisoning from produce than meat, decreased immune function in animals can raise the risk of infections caused by Campylobacter, E. coli, and Salmonella bacteria. Safeguarding cattle against stress can also reduce reliance on antibiotics, which are administered to cows as a safety precaution. Overuse of these medications in animals is associated with an increased risk of antibiotics resistance in humans, reducing the effectiveness of treatments for bacterial infections. Read the original article on Mashed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hochul touts free lunch plan during school visit
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday visited Albany City School District's Eagle Point Elementary School to recommit to her 2025 State of the State proposal to provide 2.7 million students with breakfast and lunch for free at school. "This monumental program will build on federal support to help save parents money, address food insecurity among New York kids, and create more opportunities for students to succeed," a news release from Hochul's office stated. "Today's visit comes as the federal government continues its efforts to slash vital food assistance programs — including attempting to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, threatening cuts to the Community Eligibility Provision in the National School Lunch program and eliminating over $1 billion in federal funding to help bring local food to schools and food banks." 'I'm fighting to make school meals free for every student in New York — giving every young person the nourishment they need to thrive in the classroom and putting money back in families' pockets,' Hochul said. 'As the federal government takes a hammer to vital food assistance programs, we're stepping up to the plate by filling the plates of those who need it most.' New York state currently receives $2 billion in federal funding to support school meal programs, according to the release. Hochul's proposal would build on that support to ensure that every student in the state has access to breakfast and lunch at school. "By eliminating any financial requirements to receive this benefit, New York State will level the playing field and give parents back the money they would be spending," the release stated. Free school meals are estimated to save families $165 per child in grocery spending each month and have been shown to support learning, boost test scores, and improve attendance and classroom behavior, according to the release. The current state budget included $180 million to help incentivize eligible schools to participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision program, allowing all students in participating schools to eat breakfast and lunch at no charge regardless of their families' income, the release stated. The governor's 2025 State of the State initiative requires all school districts, charter schools and nonpublic schools that participate in the national school lunch and breakfast program to provide free breakfast and lunch meals to all students regardless of their families' income. Under the initiative, the state will pay the student's share of costs for all meals served to students not already receiving free meals, expanding eligibility for free meals to nearly 300,000 additional students, according to the release.
Los Angeles Times
26-02-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Garden Grove Unified preps take-home meal kits for Muslim students during Ramadan
Muslim students at the Garden Grove Unified School District will be able to take meal kits home during the holy month of Ramadan when they are otherwise fasting in observance during the school day. Bento boxes with a meal, fruits, vegetables and a drink are set to be distributed for free to students who attend school and request them as a religious accommodation during the Islamic holy month, which begins on Friday. Observant Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn until dusk during Ramadan until breaking their fast with meal called iftar. Students can pick up the meal kits starting on March 3 through March 28. The initiative came by way of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's approval of the California Department of Education's waiver request to allow local school districts to distribute free meals from the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs for Muslim students to take home during Ramadan. 'We're always looking for opportunities to serve our students,' said Agnes Lally, director of food services at Garden Grove Unified. 'We have a very diverse population here at the district. When this waiver became available, we wanted to make sure that we had this opportunity for our fasting students.' Garden Grove Unified completed and submitted an opt-in survey towards that end. Parents and students interested in the take-home meal kits must complete an online form and notify the district of how many days during the week they will be requesting them. 'My staff will prepare the meal kits every day,' Lally said. 'We'll put together a bento box for breakfast and lunch with all the proper components. Before our staff goes home, they will deliver the meal kits to the school office.' The program has gained praise from the greater Los Angeles area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. 'This initiative exemplifies the values of understanding and respect that are crucial in educational settings, ensuring that all students, regardless of their background, feel supported,' said Hussam Ayloush, CAIR-LA's executive director. 'We hope that more school districts will take similar steps to ensure Muslim students feel seen and valued at school, not only during Ramadan but year-round.' The meal kits see to it that observing Ramadan at the district won't come at the expense of breakfast and lunch that students otherwise would have eaten during any other time of the school year. 'In our district, 81% of our students are socio-economically disadvantaged,' said Abby Broyles, a district spokeswoman. 'Having free breakfast and lunch available during Ramadan, it's a great service to ensure that those families still have access to free, nutritious meals.'
