Lindenhurst schools join districts offering free breakfast, lunch for all students
Cook Jillian LaGreco, left, and kitchen worker Gina Miller serve free meals to students at the Albany Avenue School in Lindenhurst on Thursday. Credit: Danielle Silverman
The Lindenhurst School District started providing free meals to all students this week, joining several other Long Island systems that have been able to expand access to breakfast and lunch this school year to children at no cost and regardless of income.
An expansion of a federal program has allowed the district to provide a free breakfast and a full lunch but not snacks. The program rolled out Tuesday when classes resumed after the holiday break.
“It’s going to give everybody the opportunity to be fed. The sad reality is that sometimes the only good meal that students have is when they are in school,” said Lindenhurst interim superintendent Vincent Caravana.
Educators and advocates have been calling for free universal meals for all children in the state, saying students who are well fed do better academically. Meals were free during the pandemic and several states, including Vermont, Nevada and Massachusetts, now offer no-cost meals to all school children.
Earlier this school year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture made a change that allowed for more school systems nationwide to become eligible for federal meal funds under the Community Eligibility Provision. This provision provides meals at no cost to all students without requiring families to apply for free and reduced-price meals. The meals are paid for with federal and state funds.
Before the change, at least 40% of students had to live in households participating in certain income-based federal assistance programs in order for a school, group of schools, or school district to be eligible. This threshold was lowered in October from 40% to 25%, making more schools eligible, according to the USDA.
Districts had to apply for the designation. Lindenhurst recently did and received approval that covers the next four years.
According to the district, breakfast menus offer a variety of entrees, fruit and milk selections daily. Lunch menus include entree choices ranging from hot items, grill favorites, vegetarian offerings, pizza and more. School meals must meet nutrition guidelines.
In addition, the 2024 state budget included an additional $134.6 million to expand access to free school meals through a CEP state subsidy, according to Hunger Solutions New York, an advocacy group.
“We are deeply grateful for New York’s historic investment in school meals, which has enabled more than 1,100 additional schools — including an estimated 180 schools on Long Island — to provide meals at no cost to all of their students starting this school year,” said Krista Hesdorfer, director of public affairs for Hunger Solutions.
The South Huntington School District was able to offer free meals to its students at the start of the school year. School officials have noticed an increase in participation among students.
Sheila Buhse, school nutrition director for the district, said two recent adjustments to the program have allowed more districts to participate. The first was made by the state, which lowered the CEP eligibility level from 62% to 40%. Then, the federal government lowered the level even further to 25%.
“These changes allowed South Huntington to become a CEP district and our participation increased dramatically comparing year to year,” she said.
In the district, which enrolls about 5,600 students, breakfast counts grew to about 130,000 from September to December compared with 97,000 during the same time frame in 2022. The lunch program experienced similar growth going from 199,000 to 238,000 — an increase of almost 20%.
“The added figures have required some adjustments, such as more staff coverage and additional food purchases, but the end result is wonderful … more children are eating,” Buhse said.
The William Floyd district enrolled in the CEP designation in 2019, and at the beginning of this school year received a four-year extension through 2026-27. Students in grades K-12 receive one free breakfast and one free lunch per school day, regardless of family income level. There is nothing families need to do to enroll or participate.
Previously, families who qualified for free and reduced lunch programs had to apply for the programs and show proof of need. The change eliminates paperwork and makes meal availability truly universal, Caravana said.
Joie Tyrrell is a Long Island native and covers education for Newsday, where she has worked since 1998.