HOUSTON (KIAH)— National School Lunch Week is celebrated October 9-13th every year and this schools across the state are showing the importance of healthy school meals for our children. However, it’s not always easy for parents to afford balanced healthy meals at home. That’s why school districts like Aldine ISD are promoting the benefits of healthy meals and making sure that parents have access.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, millions of students from low-income communities will be eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch. Certain districts have different eligibility requirements based on household income and the number of kids in a household, but Aldine ISD doesn’t require parents to fill out an income survey for enrolled students. The district operates under its Community Eligibility Program that allows all students to eat free with reimbursable breakfast, lunch, or supper. The only requirement is to complete the annual update. CEP allows the nation’s highest poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications. 

Aldine ISD’s Assistant Director of Nutrition, Carrie Allen says that the district will celebrate National School Lunch Week with students next week and will have contests and promotions throughout the week as well as do a bicycle giveaway for the five campuses with the top elementary schools with the most increased participation in the lunch program.

Director of Operations for Aldine ISD’s Child Nutrition Services, Chandra Johnson said, ” The food that we serve here are healthy, nutritious meals. Kids have an opportunity to pick fruit, milk and vegetables, a variety of things they see at home, at the grocery stores and they also see it here in our serving lines.”

To learn more about free and reduced meals on your child’s campus and to hear more about programs within Aldine ISD that are promoting healthy meals to students in and out of the classroom, visit here.