Sara Stadem | Editor
Once again, this school year, West Central and Tri-Valley school districts will be able to assist students when it comes to breakfast and lunch by offering free meals which will run through the 2021-2022 school year.
This will be for any enrolled student at each school for breakfast and lunch, according to both the West Central Superintendent Daniel Hoey and the Tri-Valley Business Manager Brian Andersen.
Superintendent Hoey explained for West Central, this includes one milk and the main meal is free. Any additional items, any a la carte, additional milks and snacks would have a charge associated to said items.
The West Central School Board determined at their July meeting any additional milk will be a charge of $.45, the cost of an adult breakfast will be $2.25 and an adult lunch will cost $4.00. Ala cart and snack prices will be set by the business manager and the food service director.
According to Andersen, a second meal for a student at Tri-Valley will be a charge of $1.35 and an extra milk will cost $.40 per carton. Ala cart items can be purchased above the regular lunch with a charge associated to it and those charges vary based on item. An adult breakfast will be a charge of $2.00 and the cost of an adult lunch will be $3.80.
Both West Central and Tri-Valley School Districts are encouraging those that normally qualify for free or reduced meals to still complete the application.
Superintendent Hoey said, “We are still strongly encouraging families to complete free/reduced applications. Information on how and where to complete the free/reduced applications can be found at the District webpage and in the West Central Wire.”
Andersen explained this is not a requirement and will not affect families in receiving a free lunch. He further explained if those that normally qualify for free or reduced still apply, they may also qualify for help in other programs; for example, some areas give free pool passes if they can provide their free lunch approval letter. It also helps schools when the federal government determines how much federal grant money a school is eligible for each year.
The free or reduced meal application for Tri-Valley can be found at https://www.tri-valley.k12.sd.us/article/492731.
When asked if the program benefits the school, Andersen said, “I think families suffered loss of income during times of COVID, as well as shortages in items have increased prices of those items and causes inflation.” He continued, “Any area where families can get a little bit of a break can hopefully help not only them, but also put that back into the community.”