Federal program offers free meals for all students in Fox Chapel, North Allegheny, Shaler school districts

Students in the Fox Chapel Area School District can receive free breakfast and lunch, likely through the end of the year.

The free meals are available to all students – not just those who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches — through a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) program until Dec. 31, or until funding runs out.

The program is also being offered in Shaler Area and North Allegheny school districts.

At NA, meal pick-ups will be 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays at selected locations.

For Shaler Area students, grab-and-go meals will be distributed on several days each week at either the high school or Emmanuel Lutheran Church along Grant Avenue.

At Fox Chapel Area, Food Services Manager Julie Geary said students who enrolled in the hybrid instructional model will receive the food on their in-person class days but that families can also order free meals for online learning days.

Students who are fully remote can order up to five breakfasts and lunches every week.

Distributions are noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Kerr Elementary School.

The program applies to meals only. A la carte items such as milk and snacks will still be for sale.

At the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, district students, except for those who qualified for free and reduced meals and all Kerr Elementary School students, were paying for school meals.

Bonnie Berzonski, Fox Chapel School District’s coordinator of communications, said there are many students who might not officially qualify for free or reduced meals, but whose families’ situations have changed during covid-19.

“They may be struggling financially due to the pandemic,” she said. “We are grateful that we are able to provide free meals to all of our students during this time.”

FCASD residents interested in the free meals must fill out a Google form by 10 p.m. the Tuesday prior to pickup at FCASDPickupMeals.