U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the extension of three nationwide waivers this week, giving child nutrition program operators the flexibility to continue to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also promoting social distancing.
With the extension of these waivers, models such as drive-thru food pickups, bus delivery and other means to deliver nutrition to students can continue while state and local social distancing orders remain in place.
The USDA move extends three key waivers that will allow current operations to continue through August 31, 2020:
FNS is also rapidly approving states for Pandemic-EBT, which provides food-purchasing benefits, equal to the value of school meals, to households with children who would otherwise be receiving free or reduced-price meals at school. FNS has approved 26 plans and continues to review new plans as they are submitted.
LINK: Learn more at the FNS website of the USDA