Access to Aid Episode 1: Applying for Free and Reduced Lunch

If you qualify for unemployment, TANF, SNAP, WIC, or other forms of governmental aid, then you should apply through your child's school district for free or reduced lunch! Most people do not know if they are eligible, and it is free to apply.

From Benefits.gov: Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the Federal poverty level are eligible for free meals. Those with incomes between 130 and 185 percent of the Federal poverty level are eligible for reduced price meals.

All school districts handle these applications a little differently. I have linked the instructions for Humble and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD below.

Humble ISD: https://www.humbleisd.net/o/humbleisd/page/cns-free-and-reduced

Grapevine-Colleyville ISD: https://www.gcisd.net/page/free-and-reduced-information

If you live in a different school district, these are very easy to find! I searched for "[School District Name] Free and Reduced Lunch" to find these pages and instructions.

During the summer, you do not have to apply for free breakfast and lunch. All across the country, there are summer meal sites that allow any child age 18 or younger, or enrolled students with disabilities up to 21 years old, to eat for free! This means you do not need to be a student enrolled in the site school or even in the district to eat for free! To find a site near you in Texas, use the map locator here: https://squaremeals.org/Programs/Summer-Meal-Programs/Summer-Meal-Site-Map

There are also very exciting developments for low-income students across Texas!

From No Kid Hungry: Thanks to the 88th Texas Legislature, new investments in school meals are expanding access to free school breakfast for eligible students. Starting September 1, 2023, students who are eligible for reduced priced meals at school will receive school breakfast free for the next two school years (2023-2024 and 2024-2025). 

Some schools may participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Community Eligibility Provision. This program allows for schools in Texas with a significant portion of students in low-income households to provide free lunch to all of their students.

Note: This blog and podcast are not legal advice. If you have a legal question, please contact a local attorney or bar association for assistance.

Full podcast episode linked below!