PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN OKLAHOMA ARE OFFERING FREE MEALS TO STUDENTS, BUT NOW A DISTRICT IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA IS DOING EVEN MORE TO MAKE SURE STUDENTS ARE FED AND READY TO LEARN. LET’S GO LIVE NOW TO KOCO KYLIE THOMAS. SHE JOINS US LIVE FROM WYNNEWOOD KYLIE, WHERE THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS THERE ARE PROVIDING ANOTHER MEAL. YEAH, HERE AT WYNNEWOOD, STUDENTS GET A FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH. NO QUESTIONS ASKED. BUT FOR SOME, FOOD ISN’T ALWAYS A GUARANTEE. ONCE THEY GET HOME. NOW, STARTING TODAY, ALL STUDENTS WILL GET A FREE SNACK PACK BEFORE THEY GO HOME. THESE ARE THE BOXES WITH THE THE MEALS. THE MEAL KITS FOR THIRD MEAL. THERE’S DIFFERENT KINDS. STUDENTS AT WYNNEWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE GETTING AN EXTRA SNACK BEFORE HEADING HOME. THE THIRD MEAL WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY A GRANT THROUGH THE CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM. SUPERINTENDENT BYRON MOONEY SAYS THEY NOTICED MORE OF THEIR STUDENTS WERE WORRIED ABOUT FOOD AT HOME AND COMING TO SCHOOL HUNGRY. THERE ARE MORE AND MORE KIDS COMING IN AND THERE’S MORE AND MORE KIDS THAT ARE A LITTLE MORE VOCAL ABOUT IT. WE WENT FROM 60, ROUGHLY 7% FREE AND REDUCED TO 86 OVER THIS PAST YEAR. HE SAYS. THAT’S LARGELY DUE TO MORE PARENTS FILLING OUT PAPERWORK, BUT SAYS INFLATION HAS PLAYED A PART THEY CAN NO LONGER MAKE IT WITHOUT SOME SORT OF ASSISTANCE. WYNNEWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS JOINS A LIST OF OTHER DISTRICTS IN OKLAHOMA OFFERING FREE MEALS. THIS SCHOOL YEAR, INCLUDING OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, MID-DEL, MCLOUD AND TEN SCHOOLS IN NORMAN. WE WANT TO SERVE KIDS AS MUCH AS WE CAN. IF THAT GETS HUNGRY, WE WANT TO FEED THEM. I DON’T CARE IF THEY CAN AFFORD IT OR NOT. AND ON FRIDAYS, STUDENTS CAN RECEIVE A BACKPACK FULL OF FOOD SUPPLIED BY THE REGIONAL FOOD BANK TO HELP SUSTAIN THEM THROUGH THE WEEKEND. REPORTIN
Wynnewood Public Schools expanding free meal program to prevent hunger
While many public schools in Oklahoma offer free meals to students, a school district in southeast Oklahoma is expanding their program to make sure students are fed throughout the day and ready to learn.
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Updated: 5:27 PM CDT Aug 8, 2024
While many public schools in Oklahoma offer free meals to students, a school district in southeast Oklahoma is expanding its program to ensure students are fed throughout the day and ready to learn.Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.At Wynnewood Public Schools, all students get free breakfast and lunch, with no questions asked, but for some, food isn’t guaranteed at home. The school district is now offering all students a snack before going home.“These are the boxes with the meals, the meal kits for ‘third meal.' There’s different kinds,” said Byron Mooney, superintendent of Wynnewood Public Schools.>> Download the KOCO 5 AppThe third meal was made possible by a grant through the Child and Adult Care Food Program and came about after Mooney said school staff noticed more of their students worried about food at home and coming to school hungry.“There’s more and more kids coming in and there are more kids that are vocal about it,” Mooney said. “We went from roughly 67% free and reduced to 86% free and reduced over this past year.”He said a large part of the increase came from parents filling out paperwork to be part of the program but said inflation has also played a part.“They can no longer make it without some kind of assistance,” Mooney said.Wynnewood joins a list of other districts across the state offering free meals during the school year, including Oklahoma City Public Schools, Mid-Del Schools, McLoud Public Schools and 10 schools in Norman.“We want to serve kids as much as we can. If that kid’s hungry, we want to feed them. I don’t care if they can afford it or not,” Mooney said.On Fridays, students can receive a backpack full of food from the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma to help sustain them through the weekend.Top HeadlinesOldest living US track Olympian still chasing goals of inspiring athletesRemains identified in decades-old Oklahoma cold caseIslamic State group material found at 2nd suspect’s home in foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift showsPreliminary information released in deadly Oklahoma City plane crashInvasive species, Asian Longhorned Tick, found in Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY — While many public schools in Oklahoma offer free meals to students, a school district in southeast Oklahoma is expanding its program to ensure students are fed throughout the day and ready to learn.
Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.
At Wynnewood Public Schools, all students get free breakfast and lunch, with no questions asked, but for some, food isn’t guaranteed at home. The school district is now offering all students a snack before going home.
“These are the boxes with the meals, the meal kits for ‘third meal.' There’s different kinds,” said Byron Mooney, superintendent of Wynnewood Public Schools.
>> Download the KOCO 5 App
The third meal was made possible by a grant through the Child and Adult Care Food Program and came about after Mooney said school staff noticed more of their students worried about food at home and coming to school hungry.
“There’s more and more kids coming in and there are more kids that are vocal about it,” Mooney said. “We went from roughly 67% free and reduced to 86% free and reduced over this past year.”
He said a large part of the increase came from parents filling out paperwork to be part of the program but said inflation has also played a part.
“They can no longer make it without some kind of assistance,” Mooney said.
Wynnewood joins a list of other districts across the state offering free meals during the school year, including Oklahoma City Public Schools, Mid-Del Schools, McLoud Public Schools and 10 schools in Norman.
“We want to serve kids as much as we can. If that kid’s hungry, we want to feed them. I don’t care if they can afford it or not,” Mooney said.
On Fridays, students can receive a backpack full of food from the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma to help sustain them through the weekend.
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