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Grand Rapids Public Schools' free meal program at risk as shutdown continues

The free meal program is funded by the government, but it could be at risk if the shutdown continues.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — School lunches may be the newest victim to the government shutdown. Local schools are already planning their next moves if the government funding is pulled from school meal programs. 

Grand Rapids Public Schools are one of the many academic institutions to offer free meals to students. John Helmholdt, Executive Director of Communications and External Affairs said this program feeds 7,500 GRPS students breakfast and 12,400 students lunch daily. It is available to all 17,000 students. The free meal program is funded by the government, but it could be at risk if the shutdown continues.

Helmholdt shared that GRPS is in good financial standing at the moment, but that if the shutdown continues, the school will need to reassess budgets.  “If this drags out for additional weeks or months, then that puts us in a position where we’re not going to get that next federal aid payment, then we have to go into that position where 'how are we going to fund this?'” Helmholdt said. 

To him, the answer is straight-forward. “The easiest solution is for Congress and the President to do their job and to actually restore our federal government,” said Helmholdt.

However, during the longest government shutdown in United States history, the GRPS administrators may have to take matters into their own hands.

“We don’t have a lot of options," said Helmholdt. "We have a rainy-day fund that we may have to dip into. We have a general fund that, if we needed to shift dollars around; I think we’ll be creative in it. But, these are in the millions of dollars; this is not a small amount of money that we spend on federal food service."

Helmholdt made it clear that the free lunch program will live on, saying “We’re not, not going to fund it. We have to figure out a solution.”

According to the Helmholdt, the United States Department of Agriculture will be providing funding for the meal program into March. He said he hopes the school won’t have to create or implement an alternative budget, but that what’s most important is making sure students are fed.

“We want to make sure that the children are well-fed. They’re in school every day and we’ve got that breakfast and that lunch ready for them,” said Helmholdt. “We know students that get a good meal in the morning, they get a good lunch, their brains are going to function better, they're more likely to perform better in school.”

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