The in-school free meal program is underway at HISD. It runs through July 17th. The program has been going on for almost twenty years now, but when you find out who is eligible, you might be surprised.
Children up to the age of 18 can eat two meals a day for free. There is no registration required. There's no proof of income required. We asked Nan Creamer at HISD what the chances are that kids who don't need it are participating.
“My feeling is that the people who come to this program and the parents who bring their kids to this program are the ones that need it,” Creamer told KTRH News.
This is a federally funded program, and Merrill Matthews at the Institute for Policy Innovation says costs might go down if enrollment was required.
“It probably would if you had an enrollment aspect. That might very well reduce the participation rate,” Matthews said.
Katy ISD is running a similar program. KTRH did reach out to them for this story, but they did not return our calls.