Austin °¼Í¹ÊÓƵ will prepare and provide meals for children, and their parents or caregivers, until off-campus remote learning begins on Sept. 8. A°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ is working in collaboration with the Texas Department of Agriculture.
A°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ will provide weekend and caregiver meals through Friday, Sept. 4. Weekend meals are not eligible for funding reimbursement through the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, which is required to operate when school resumes. The caregiver meal program, supported by the City of Austin and the A°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ Crisis Support Fund, was funded through the summer, and will not continue into the school year.
On Sept. 8, the first day of off-campus remote learning, meals will be available for students who provide documentation that they are enrolled in A°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ for the 2020-21 school year. Parents or caregivers may continue to pick up meals for their children at curbside locations provided they present enrollment documentation for each student receiving meals. Documentation may be a student ID card, student ID number or an official letter or email from the school showing that the child is currently enrolled at an A°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ school.
Under current Texas Department of Agriculture guidelines, meals will be free only for students who meet one of the following criteria:
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Enrolled at one of the 80 A°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ schools participating in the .
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Live in a household that receives state-funded benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Individuals may apply for this benefit at .
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Determined eligible by completing a free or reduced-price meal benefits application at . A new application must be submitted each school year.
Through Oct. 7, A°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ will continue to provide free, local Farm Fresh Boxes from The Common Market Texas. The boxes feature a variety of Texas-grown vegetables and are available at no cost to families with children under the age of 19. Children may accept the boxes, or they will be provided to the adults accompanying children or with documentation of the children receiving meals. Boxes are available until they run out.
Families can find all meal site locations and the most up-to-date information at .