"It adds up" Free school lunches for all ending soon, costs rising in some districts

TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Free universal school lunches were a thing of the pandemic -- and they'll soon be a thing of the past for many districts.

With federal waivers set to expire on June 30, 2022 and Congress deciding not to extend them, families will once again be footing the bill for their kids' school lunches. In some Western North Carolina school districts, they'll be paying more than ever before.

On Monday, June 6, Transylvania County's Board of Education voted to increase lunch prices by a dollar this fall, compared to pre-pandemic pricing. Transylvania County Schools (TCS) will charge $3.25 for elementary school lunches and $3.50 for middle and high school lunches starting this August.

"If Congress is not going to extend those waivers, we are forced to charge for meals," said Janette Broda, director of School Nutrition Services at Transylvania County Schools.

Broda said their nutrition department has seen a 30% increase in the cost of food, supplies, equipment and labor.

Even with the price hike coming this fall, she said "that doesn't cover the cost of putting food on the plate for our district. We are offering a reasonably priced meal for our children."

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Broda said she encourages any family, even if they're not sure they'd be eligible, to fill out the application for free and reduced lunches this fall to see if they might qualify. That is based on income qualifications, as was the case pre-pandemic.

She emphasizes that TCS will continue to offer free school breakfast for all for its 20th year in a row. TCS also has a Summer Lunch Program, through which they operate five meal sites that provide lunch for children and teenagers 18 and under in Transylvania County. Children do not have to qualify for free or reduced lunch to participate and do not have to attend TCS.

You can find more information here.

Buncombe County Schools (BCS) will also be charging more than it ever has for school lunches this fall due to the high price of fuel, food and supplies, supply chain issues and the continued increase in inflation.

This fall, BCS will charge $3.50 for elementary and intermediate school lunches, $3.75 for middle school lunches, $4.25 for high school lunches and $4.75 for adult lunches.

The district will continue to offer free school breakfast for all, like TCS. BCS is also offering summer meals. Click here for more information.

"It adds up really, really quickly,"said Kara Irani, the director of marketing and communications for MANNA FoodBank about the school lunch price hikes. "I don't think people are prepared for what those costs are going to look like because we've had universal meals for the last two years."

MANNA battles food insecurity in 16 Western North Carolina counties. Irani said they believe in free universal school lunches and wish Congress had extended the pandemic waivers, ensuring that school lunches are free in perpetuity.

"Making those school lunches and breakfasts universal for all kids actually removes the stigma of having to have support for food," she said.

Irani said having to apply for free and reduced lunches, which families in need will have to resume doing this fall, can be an impediment to people getting the help they need.

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"It's definitely an obstacle for sure, for families to have to self-identify and then apply for those benefit programs," she said.

MANNA fills backpacks with enough nutritious food to feed a child for an entire weekend, which are given to students who may be facing food insecurity across the mountains.

"This past school year, we were serving between 3,000 and 5,000 kids every single week with MANNA Packs," Irani said.

She said she's expecting even more kids to need those MANNA Packs this fall with prices going up everywhere -- from the grocery store to the school cafeteria.

"We're absolutely planning to expand that as much as we reasonably can, but of course, food banks across the country are also facing these challenges," Irani said.

She said their donations have been down and they're having to purchase even more food now to meet a growing need.

"As of this past month, we're still serving 65% more people than we were prior to the pandemic on average every month," Irani said.

For anyone in a position to help with hunger in the mountains, Irani said there are a few ways to do so:

• One way to help is through monetary donations to MANNA to help them feed more children and families.
• Another way to help is to advocate and call lawmakers, asking them to make school lunches free for all, forever.