As shutdown strains families, Houston County Schools ramp up meal assistance

As federal employees nationwide face furloughs from the government shutdown and begin to feel the financial impact, the Houston County School District is stepping in to help affected families in Middle Georgia.

The district’s school nutrition program has launched a proactive effort to ensure families facing sudden hardship know how to apply for free and reduced-price school meals. Since the shutdown began, more than 200 new students in the district have qualified for meal assistance, according to district officials.

Meredith Potter, the district’s school nutrition program director, said that while 31 sites automatically provide free meals to all students through the U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded Community Eligibility Provision, families at nine other schools must submit applications for free or reduced-price meals.

The Community Eligibility Provision is a federal program that allows eligible schools to offer free meals to all students regardless of family income.

Schools qualify for the Community Eligibility Provision based on the number of directly certified students in the school compared to the enrollment. Children are considered directly certified if they live in households that participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

Since Oct. 1, the district has seen a surge in meal assistance applications at the nine schools that don’t qualify for the Community Eligibility Provision, as federal workers face uncertainty about their paychecks, Potter said.

“It’s huge, because normally, at the beginning of the year we’ll get a lot of applications with families getting ready for school, but it’s highly unlikely that we’re going to get another surge throughout the rest of the year,” she said.

Potter encouraged families to apply as soon as possible, noting, “because we know the community is in need.” The nutrition staff is attempting to process applications within 48 hours, she added.

Families approved for meal benefits will remain eligible for the rest of the school year, Potter said.

The Community Eligibility Provision program, which covers schools with a high percentage of low-income students and provides free meals for all, remains unaffected by the shutdown at this time, Potter said.

Because the district’s nutrition program is guided by USDA regulations, Potter emphasized that helping students qualify for free or reduced meals is “the biggest way that we can help families.”

Potter said this includes sending out emails and text messages to let affected parents know that this is an option. She also said the nutrition program has also recently started offering families the option to schedule an appointment for assistance.

“That is new for this situation just because many of these families may not have qualified in the past, so they’re not familiar with the process,” Potter said. “If they’ve had recent income changes, we want to make sure we can help them get through the process easily.”

Over 22,200 Houston County School District students were enrolled in Community Eligibility Provision-participating schools for the 2024-2025 academic year, according to the Food Research and Action Center.

When students have access to free meals at school, families have lower grocery bills and more money in their household budgets to help make ends meet, nutrition advocates with the Food Research and Action Center say.

Houston County’s response comes as federal employees, including several at the Robins Air Force Base, are working without pay.

One such employee, Warner Robins resident Amanda Lamar, has worked at the base for 15 years. Like many, she’s now receiving $0 paychecks.

“It has affected my family because I’m used to getting paid every two weeks,” she said. “Most people’s bills start over at the beginning of the month, so here I am with no pay and with bills.”

Lamar said the uncertainty of the situation increases her stress, especially as there have been no updates about when things might return to normal.

Lamar’s 11-year-old daughter attends Huntington Elementary School and already qualifies for free lunch, which she said helps ease some pressure. But Lamar still praised the school district’s efforts during this economic time.

“With money not coming in at the moment, I couldn’t imagine having to scrape up lunch money every day for my baby,” she said. “Some parents have multiple kids enrolled compared to my one. I think that’s a blessing from the school district, and I think it will lift a burden off of so many parents.”

With no end to the shutdown in sight, Lamar is considering other local resources and support systems for help.

“It’s not just hard on furloughed employees. It’s just hard, period. Everything is so expensive, and then there’s the uncertainty about the SNAP benefits,” she said.

Potter noted that the school district’s Lindsey Student Support Center has been providing additional resources to families in need.

“Supporting students and families is incredibly rewarding, and we’re happy to be a resource for our community during this difficult time,” Potter said.

Families can visit the Houston County School District’s school nutrition program to access applications for meal assistance.