The menu is changing at Palm Beach County School District. The district is now serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Seventy-one schools in Palm Beach County are distributing free dinners, five days a week.
The meals are provided to students who participate in any after-school program. Last year, the district served more than 900,000 free dinners.
"Sixty-four percent of our kids are at that level where it's hard for their parents. They don't know where their next meal is coming from. We're able to provide that for them," said Alison Monbleau with Palm Beach County School Food Services.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture runs the National School Lunch Program and is behind the new Supper Program.
"After lunch, I'll be OK for two periods, but I get hungry again. Thanks to the program, I grab me something to eat and it's a hot meal. I like that," said Brandel Luzincourt, a senior at Palm Beach Lakes Community High School.
He is one of the many students who eat all three meals at school each day.
“If you go home hungry every night and your stomach is hungry, you can't sleep and you don't wake up refreshed. You have to have food to survive," said Monbleau.
New schools are being added to the program every month. The schools must meet the following requirements:
- The school must have some type of academic after-school program
- At least 50 percent of the enrolled children at the school are eligible for free or reduced-price meals
District leaders say dishing out three square meals a day is a worthwhile investment for their students’ education.
