2. Community support
In addition to offering free and reduced meals to students who qualify, Oak Hills Local School District in Cincinnati has come up with a way to offer meals for other struggling students.
“We have those kids who fall through the cracks,” says Linda Eichenberger, food service director. “They are the kids who don’t qualify for a free or even sometimes a reduced meal, but they still don’t really have any money.”
Stemmed from an idea from an Oak Hills staff member, the district’s Adopt-a-Student Program raises funds during the year to buy lunch for struggling students. The district uses multiple ways of funding, including passing a donation bucket around at football games and allowing faculty and staff to donate a portion of their paychecks.
The program’s students are identified by counselors, so free lunches are going to those who need it most. While future expansion of the program to include more schools in the district is not out of the question, Eichenberger says the district is focusing on high school students
for now.
She also feels the trend of offering universal free lunch will continue, and she hopes the government will make it easier for schools to participate.
“I believe that most districts want to help those students who don’t qualify for a free or reduced lunch. It is just trying to find ways to get the money to help children can be difficult,” she says. “It would be great if more districts qualified for CEP, or Congress approved a budget that included universal free lunch for all schools.”