Bend-La Pine Schools will be able to provide free meals to children 18 and younger for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year thanks to an extension from the USDA, Nutrition Services Supervisor Garra Schluter announced today.

“We’re excited to be able to continue providing nutritious breakfast, lunch and supper meals for children in our district,” Schluter said. “The extension will allow us to focus on our number one priority of ensuring our kids are fed without worrying about how they will pay for meals.”

Garra explained that by forgoing collecting on meal payments, service of meals will be faster and the potential for exposure to COVID-19 will be reduced, as the district can continue ‘Grab and Go’ style meal service. Nutrition Services currently provides 8,200 meals a day for children across the district at 19 school sites and delivers meals to several neighborhoods. Find a list of locations on our Meals webpage.

Bend-La Pine Schools will also expand free meals during upcoming holidays as part of its Holiday Brown Bag program. Each bag will include breakfast, lunch and supper items to last while school is not in session. Tuesday, Nov. 10, meals will include items for the Nov. 11 Veterans Day holiday.

Seven school sites will open for special Holiday Brown Bag pick ups on Monday, Nov. 23; Monday, Dec. 21 and Monday, Dec. 28. The sites will be open from noon to 1 p.m. and each Holiday Brown Bag will include food for breakfast, lunch and supper for four days.

• Bend Senior High - 230 NE 6th Street, Bend
• Elk Meadow Elementary - 60880 Brookswood Blvd, Bend
• La Pine High - 51633 Coach Road, P.O. Box 306, La Pine
• Lava Ridge Elementary- 20805 Cooley Road, Bend
• Pilot Butte Middle - 1501 NE Neff Road, Bend
• Three Rivers K-8 - 56900 Enterprise Drive, Sunriver
• Westside Village Magnet - 1101 NW 12th Street, Bend