Families of students in the Lincoln County School District are getting a little extra help — $384 per child – from a federal food and nutrition program.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food and nutrition program has authorized four months worth of “meal replacement” benefits to students receiving free or reduced-price meals in Oregon. Because the Lincoln County district automatically provides meals to all its students, that means their families will be getting the benefits.
Households will receive benefits equivalent to one free lunch and one free breakfast for each eligible child – $5.70 per normal school day for the months of March, April, May and June.
“Lincoln County School District families do not need to do anything to receive these benefits, no applications are needed,” said Jamie Nicholson, food service director for the district.
Households in the state’s food tamp (SNAP) program will have the money automatically deposited to their existing accounts in late May. Students who do not receive SNAP benefits will automatically receive an Oregon Trail Card in the mail.
Benefits will be retroactive to March 16, for all students. Eligible families will receive the following for each child: $69 for March, $126 for April, $120 for May, and $69 in June
The district will continue delivering daily meals on established bus routes throughout the district until school ends, Nicholson said, when it will transition to a summer feeding program.
“We do not have enough information from the Oregon Department of Education to say what that looks like yet, but we will provide something,” Nicholson said.
