August is back to school month! This can be a difficult time for low income families as purchasing school supplies, uniforms/new clothes, breakfasts/ lunches, etc. can be costly. An initiative that can help mitigate the costs of hot lunch for these families is the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The NSLP is a federal meal assistance program that operates in public and non-profit private schools, and residential child care systems.In 2016 the NSLP served 30.4 million children (2). Families may be eligible to receive free or reduced cost lunches if they are already receiving or enrolled in other federal assistance programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Head Start Program, Special Supplemental Nutrition, Women Infants and Children (WIC). School meal prices vary by district, but ultimate savings can range from $600-$738. To read more about eligibility guidelines and how to apply visit NSLP.
