PHOENIX — Amid the government shutdown, children who qualify will continue to have access to free school breakfast and lunch.
President of the School Nutrition Association of Arizona, Natalie Tenney, says they are anticipating more children to utilize the school nutrition program, as many families did not get their SNAP benefits for the month of November, and some government workers aren't receiving pay.
"Not only are we anticipating (an increase), we are hoping it happens," Tenney said. "We would love to help families stretch their food budget further and have their students join us at school for breakfast and lunch. We have enough food. We have enough supplies. We have enough labor workforce to be able to provide these meals and we welcome it."
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Data from the Department of Economic Security shows about 855,000 people in Arizona relied on SNAP in the month of September. That works out to one in every four children.
Tenney says it's not too late to sign up or double-check that your child is in the system to get free meals. She says each district should have its own individual link online, showing you how to sign up.
