(Meredith) - A school district in North Carolina will serve free breakfast and lunch to all of its students, beginning in the 2019-2020 school year.
The Brunswick County School District announced on Wednesday that all 19 of its schools were approved to enroll in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program.
The transition comes after several families in the area were impacted by Hurricane Florence, according to the Wilmington Star-News.
CEP is part of the National School Lunch Program and allows school districts in low-income areas to serve free meals to every student without collecting household applications.
“Hurricane Florence’s impact on our students and families put the district in a position where this is possible due to the number of affected households,” district spokesman Daniel Seamans wrote in a news release. “We sincerely hope this helps each and every family still recovering from the devastating impact of last year’s natural disaster.”
Schools that enroll in CEP are required to offer the free meals for four consecutive years, at which time they can re-enroll.
The schools will be reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students eligible for free meals based on their participation in other specific means-tested programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
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