Next school year Hillsborough public schools are offering free meals

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Hillsborough County Public Schools are offering students free meals for the upcoming school year. 

Over 200 schools are participating in the Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP.

The program is part of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act – which aims to reduce health risks and childhood obesity.

Shani Hall is the Director of Nutritional Services for Hillsborough schools. 

“It really targets those areas of the county where food insecurity is higher,” she said. “Where there is just more need to be feeding the children and there might be an additional burden of getting that application filled out so that those kids can be getting the free meals right away.”

Hall said the need for these types of programs has been growing since the pandemic began in 2020. 

Children 18 years or younger also can get a free breakfast or lunch during the summer. 

Parents or guardians can also text “food” or “comida” to 304304 to get a list of meal sites in your area. 

“There are people who are struggling to make ends meet but they may not necessarily qualify for free or reduced lunch. but they are still unable to pay for the cost of the lunch. So, we feel like we are reaching a lot of those families who are in the middle there and this is one more thing that they don’t have to worry about,” said Hall.

According to HCPS, all students will be served lunch at no charge at the following sites: