The 2020-2021 school year is one like no other.

It is a year of many firsts including virtual classrooms, drive-thru celebrations and now until December 31– free meals for kids.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the extension of meal program flexibilities that allows school meal distributors to continue serving free meals to all children, regardless of enrollment status.

And for a Santa Clara County food bank that has seen a sharp rise in demand for their services, free meal waivers at nearby schools could prove to be crucial in alleviating an unprecedented need for food in San José.

“We worked with the Board of Supervisors and the [Santa Clara County] Office of Education to get funding to assist schools moving to universal school meals programs,” said Tracy Weatherby, Vice President of Strategy and Advocacy at Second Harvest Food Bank (SHFB) of Silicon Valley.

The USDA has extended free meal waivers for kids under the age 18. Check with your school district website for more information. Photo taken by John Ryan Amayun on April 10, 2020

“As a result, six school districts in Santa Clara County will have some or all of their schools feeding all the children every day, even after COVID.”

In addition to providing free meals to all students under the age of 18, these meal waivers eliminate the need to provide student information and for students to be present at distribution sites in order to receive meals.

The latest data from SHFB shows 161 schools in Santa Clara County have established distance learning meal sites to continue providing meals for students under the age of 18.

However, when the new school year began, many school districts were forced to return to pre-COVID meal programs that saw cafeterias begin charging for meal plans as federal meal waivers expired shortly after.

With South Bay food banks and nutrition sites challenged by an increasing need for food, these free meal waivers will ensure San José students focus on their schoolwork– not on their next meal.

“Waivers have recently been issued that allow all schools to provide meals to anyone 18 and under, regardless of whether they are enrolled at that school,” Weatherby explained. “Some schools provide multiple meals per day, sometimes multiple days’ worth of meals [including] meals over the weekend.”

The free meal waivers are an extension of the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO), which distributed millions of meals last summer. Photo Taken by John Ryan Amayun on April 10, 2020.

SHFB of Silicon Valley is no stranger to the fight against food insecurity, a challenge brought on by the economic impacts of sheltering in place that has forced many to seek out food assistance programs like CalFresh Food.

Not only does SHFB oversee the Child Nutrition Coalition across two counties, but they also work with 11 ‘high-need’ school districts in Santa Clara County that will unquestionably benefit from having free meal waivers made available for all students.

According to data from SHFB’s map of distance learning meal sites, 101 nutrition sites across San José are offering grab-and-go meal programs for kids. As of September 1, children under the age of 18 are eligible to begin receiving free meals through waivers.

Since the beginning of shelter-in-place, SHFB has served over 500,000 residents each month, but when you count in total deliveries, estimates show that they are actually providing nearly 10 million meals a month.

Yet when it comes to championing high-need communities and ensuring food security for our most vulnerable residents– SHFB has no plans to slow down anytime soon.

Students under the age of 18 are now eligible to receive multiple days’ worth of meals, including breakfast, lunch, and food for the weekend. Photo taken by John Ryan Amayun on April 10, 2020.

“Second Harvest connects our community to our free food distributions, to school and summer meals, and helps people apply for CalFresh,” Weatherby replied in a recent email. “These waivers only go through December 31, so we will be advocating for these waivers to be extended over the entire school year.”

Though the announcement from the USDA was announced two weeks ago, residents are advised to check with your respective school district’s website for more information regarding free meal waivers.

You can also visit GetCalFresh.org to request or call 1-877-847-3663 (FOOD) to apply for this program, available for individuals and families who have been impacted by COVID-19. You can also go to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley shfb.org/getfood or call 1-800-984-3663 and one of their Food Connection Specialists can help you find out if you qualify.

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