Shelby County school district no longer providing free summer meals for the community

SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) - Shelby County school leaders are talking about the changes to this year’s free summer feeding program.

Many of the USDA waivers that enabled schools to feed children for free last summer have expired. As those waivers expire, the Shelby County school district will only be providing meals for students who are enrolled in enrichment/learning programs on a school campus during the day.

Although the school system is not opening any sites for the community, they are grateful they can still provide meals and help out a few families.

“It helps the students get those healthy meals during the school day, even during the summer. They still need to eat healthy, so this is a great resource for parents,” Nathan Hayes, Shelby County’s child nutritionist, said.

To help keep your child healthy this summer, here are some tips.

“Over the summer, water is always good. They need to stay hydrated during the heat, and fruits and vegetables are always a good choice,” Hayes said.

If you have children in summer school and they are in need of resources, you still have options.

“We have resources on our website, on Shelby County website for parents who would like to utilize the food bank or information about P-EBT, and we have links where you can find the meals that are offered at no cost to students,” Hayes said.

For more information, you can head over to shelbyed.k12.al.us.

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