LUMBERTON — Robeson County parents need not fret that their children will be going hungry while at school.
The Public Schools of Robeson County is not among school districts across the state and nation being forced to alter what and how much food they serve to students because of the partial government shutdown.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service has been forced to slow down funding to Child Nutrition programs that provide breakfasts and lunches to schools across the country. The cost of meals usually is reimbursed by the federal government 30 days after they are served.
The department’s Food and Nutrition Service has provided state educational agencies with additional funding to keep meal programs operating into March. After that it is possible funding could be affected.
The Public Schools of Robeson County has enough money in reserve to provide meals until the end of the school year, according to information from district leaders. The numbers fluctuate, but the system provided about 9,200 breakfasts and 17,277 lunches each day during December.
All meals provided in Robeson County are free. There are about 23,000 students in the system.
“We are fortunate the government shutdown will not impact our district’s Child Nutrition Program,” said schools Superintendent Shanita Wooten. “Some of our students will go home this Friday and will probably not have a good meal until they return on Monday. So we know how important these meals are for our students and we are thankful the food program will not be interrupted.”
At least one other North Carolina public schools district is not so lucky.
The Vance County School District will have to trim back on the amount and kinds of food it serves to students starting Monday because of the shutdown. Students will receive one main dish, bread, two vegetables, one fruit and milk for lunch.
The district will not serve fresh produce except at elementary schools that participate in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. Fresh produce will be available twice a week in those schools.
There will be no bottled water and juice in Vance County schools after the current stock is consumed, and no ice cream will be available.
The government partially closed on Dec. 22 when President Donald Trump and Democrats reached an impasse over funding for a wall at the border between the United States and Mexico. Trump has demanded more than $5 billion for the wall. Democrats in Congress have denied the funding.
There has also been concern locally about how the shutdown could affect the distribution of food stamps. County officials say about 38,000 people depend to some degree on food stamps, and February’s are being distributed on Sunday, which is early. County officials say they don’t forecast a disruption, but are advising food-stamp recipients to use them conservatively.
