PENDER COUNTY, N.C. — Starting with the 2024-2025 school year, Pender County Schools (PCS) will implement the USDA federal grant program known as the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) at 15 qualifying schools. This initiative will provide students attending these schools with free healthy breakfast and lunch for the entire school year, effective Monday, Aug. 26.
PCS has received approval to offer CEP at the identified schools for the next four school years, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year.
The CEP is a federally funded program designed for schools and school systems in low-income areas. Schools that adopt CEP are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students eligible for free meals through their participation in other programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
The following schools have been identified to participate in CEP:
Cape Fear Elementary
C.F. Pope Elementary
Malpass Corner Elementary
North Topsail Elementary
Rocky Point Elementary
South Topsail Elementary
Surf City Elementary
Burgaw Middle
Cape Fear Middle
West Pender Middle
Penderlea School
Heide Trask High
Pender High
Pender Early College
Pender Innovative Learning Academy
Under CEP, all students attending these schools will be eligible for free breakfast and lunch for a period of four years, unless the eligibility status of a school changes. Parents of students enrolled in CEP schools will receive notification from PCS regarding their child’s enrollment in a qualifying school and their free meal eligibility.
CEP includes breakfast and lunch meals but does not cover a la carte items.
"Implementing the CEP is a significant step towards ensuring that all our students have access to nutritious meals, which is crucial for their academic performance and overall well-being," said Lisa Nowlin, Chief Financial Officer of PCS.
Under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, CEP provides an alternative approach for offering school meals in low-income areas, eliminating the need for individual household applications for free and reduced-price meals. CEP allows schools that predominantly serve low-income children to offer free, nutritious school meals to all students through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). The CEP utilizes information from other programs, including SNAP and TANF, instead of traditional paper applications.
For more information, please contact the Pender County Schools Nutrition Office at 910-259-2187. Further details on the Community Eligibility Provision can be found on the USDA's official website at https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/community-eligibility-provision