All Romeoville Children Now Eligible For Free Meals

ROMEOVILLE, IL — The Valley View School District will continue its Remote Meals for Students program until Dec. 31, after the United States Department of Agriculture made a significant change in its policy two weeks ago.

On Aug. 31, the USDA announced that it would allow schools to continue serving free meals to all kids through the end of the year so long "as funding allows." This is a complete reversal of its earlier position, which would have required nutrition departments to resume charging students for food and to turn away any children not enrolled in their school district beginning September.

This means that VVSD may offer free meals to any child in the community as it meets USDA "area eligibility" criteria, whereas greater than 50 percent of students qualify for free or reduced price meals. In VVSD, that change means those picking up meal kits at the five middle school curbside pick-up sites will no longer be required to display a VVSD student ID or ID number.

Those receiving meals via delivery will be asked to provide at VVSD student ID or ID number. Those without a VVSD ID will need to provide the name(s) of any child under 18 for whom they are accepting meal delivery. Curbside pick-up meal kits include breakfast and lunch for multiple days and are offered each Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m.-noon.

Children do not need to be present as the adult household member may pick-up the meals on their child’s behalf. A pre-order is no longer needed for curbside pick-up meal kits. Meal kits will be distributed until noon on designated pickup days, or as supplies last.

"As our nation reopens and people return to work, it remains critical our children continue to receive safe, healthy, and nutritious food. During the COVID-19 pandemic, USDA has provided an unprecedented amount of flexibilities to help schools feed kids through the school meal programs, and today, we are also extending summer meal program flexibilities for as long as we can, legally and financially,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. "We appreciate the incredible efforts by our school foodservice professionals year in and year out, but this year we have an unprecedented situation. This extension of summer program authority will employ summer program sponsors to ensure meals are reaching all children – whether they are learning in the classroom or virtually – so they are fed and ready to learn, even in new and ever-changing learning environments."

Meals can be picked up from the following VVSD schools:

• Jane Addams Middle School
• Brooks Middle School
• Hubert H. Humphrey Middle School
• Lukancic Middle School
• A Vito Martinez Middle School