Houston students to get 3 free meals a day

District to provide food for 2017-18 school year

HOUSTON – A Texas school district is providing free food to its students during the 2017-18 school year.

All Houston Independent School District students will receive three meals a day at no charge, KPRC reported.

The district is hoping to help support families as they recover from devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey.

"The flooding that is affecting the city of Houston has been devastating to so many," Richard Carranza, the district's superintendent, told KPRC. "Some of the areas hardest hit are filled with working parents whose limited funds will need to go toward recovery efforts."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Texas Department of Agriculture granted the district approval to waive the required application process for the National School Lunch/Breakfast Program. 

The waiver takes effect immediately, KPRC reported, allowing students to eat for free when school resumes.

The district is still asking families to complete and return the application, which is available online.