Coronavirus is closing more schools. What happens to students who depend on school lunches? nbcnews.to/2TWSLL4 (1/5) #NBCNewsThreads
20,000,000 students nationwide benefit from federal assistance programs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2/5)
Now, with school closings spread across the country, officials are having to find creative ways to ensure students are getting access to the food they need, especially in low-income or less affluent districts. (3/5)
To help make it easier for states to operate their school meals programs during the coronavirus outbreak, the USDA is accepting waiver requests that will allow students to get their meals from a designated site, then take it home. (4/5)
"Needy students live in all communities," says Diane Pratt-Heavner of the School Nutrition Association, which represents 55,000 school nutrition professionals. She added that there remain "many unknowns and complex considerations that vary from one community to the next." (5/5)
