Prince George’s County Public Schools is now offering hot after school meals and expanding its free breakfast program as families are feeling the effects of the federal government shutdown.
PGCPS announced on Oct. 29 that it would add the hot meal program in certain schools, replacing the cold bag meals previously provided. The school district is also now offering free breakfast to more schools this year. PGCPS said these programs would particularly benefit families who are struggling as the government shutdown enters its 38th day.
Prince George’s County is home to about 70,000 federal workers and contractors, many of whom are being furloughed. Uncertainty over federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could affect about 11 percent of county residents who depend on food assistance.
“This expansion comes at a time when families are feeling stretched,” interim superintendent Shawn Joseph wrote in the news release. “By adding new hot supper options and expanding free breakfast, we’re helping more families manage through uncertain times.”
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Mary Kirkland, PGCPS’ food and nutrition services director, told The Diamondback that the hot meal service is currently available at about 10 schools but the district is receiving additional requests from others who also want to participate.
Schools are eligible for the hot meal program if more than 50 percent of students receive free and reduced price meals and have at least 75 students in after school programs, according to the news release.
“The most concern that people may have right now is like, ‘OK, I know my child can go to school, they can get breakfast, they can get lunch. But what happens between lunch and the next day when they come back for breakfast?’” Kirkland said. “This supper program helps bridge that gap.”
Kirkland said funding for all after school meals comes from the federal child and adult food care program. She said the school system can choose to provide hot or cold meals using these funds.
PGCPS also expanded its free breakfast program to include 23 more schools this year, meaning a total of 115 schools throughout the county now offer free breakfast to students. This program is funded by Maryland Meals for Achievement, a state program that reimburses schools to help them provide free breakfast. A school is eligible for the program if at least 40 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
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In a statement to local superintendents on Oct. 9, Maryland state superintendent of schools Carey Wright wrote there is a possibility that federal school meal funding could be impacted by the shutdown.
She wrote if the shutdown continues through November, the Maryland State Department of Education will seek funding from the state to pay for meal programs. But school systems may be asked to rely on their own finances to support meal services if the shutdown continues into December.
As of now, Kirkland said she is not concerned about a loss of federal funding for meal services.
“We are all working together to ensure that we provide the best for our students,” Kirkland said. “From a food nutrition standpoint, from an academic standpoint and just overall.”
Mary Klatko, the federal and state legislative chairman for the Maryland School Nutrition Association, told The Diamondback that meal programs such as the one in PGCPS can help fill the food gap some students may experience during the shutdown.
“I know everybody is in a panic about the SNAP program but as far as the students, we are getting paid, even in the shutdown, for [school] meals,” Klatko said. “The school food service program is doing everything it can to try to make sure that students get enough food.”
