GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As Gov. Gretchen Whitmer hopes to get funding approved to provide free breakfast and lunches for all students in Michigan, Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) is already ahead of the curve, providing free meals for kids everyday.
The district has been serving free meals to all of its students for more than 10 years.
GRPS says this has made a "remarkable difference" for the families it serves by relieving parents' financial pressure associated with paying for food for their kids at school.
The district says it serves 10,000 lunches and 5,000 breakfasts per day and says nutrition is key to children's education.
"Back when we had to collect money for lunches, we often would have students that would get behind on their lunch bills. And we'd have to try to collect that money in order to make sure that the appropriate funding levels remained for food service," said Leon Hendrix with GRPS. "Those things were difficult conversations to have and a difficult process. And we're glad that we don't have to do that."
The program is made possible through funding from the federal government because a large percentage of GRPS families qualify for free or reduced lunch in the district.
If Whitmer's budget is approved, Michigan would become the fourth state to provide free meals to students, saving families more than $850 a year.
"The important thing is that it removes a barrier or removes a concern for our families when it comes to making sure that our scholars are well-fed," Hendrix said. "We know that a well-fed mind is a mind that can learn better and perform better in the classroom. So this takes that worry away for our families."
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