Seven Muskogee Schools Offering Free Breakfast, Lunch To Students All Year

Thousands of kids in one Green Country school district are getting free lunch and breakfast, no matter how much money their families make as seven Muskogee schools are now serving up free meals to everyone.

Jesse Webb was getting ready to pay for a year's worth of meals for his Pre-K son when she got a surprising phone call.

“We got a call the day of us filling the paper out, we were like, 'that's great,' and they said they were giving back to the community so that's good," he said.

Webb and families who have students enrolled at seven Muskogee schools will get free lunch and breakfast this year.

"On a normal basis a full-price meal here is $2.10. You add that up over 176 days in the (school) year and that adds up to quite a chunk of change," said Kim Hall with Muskogee Public Schools.

Hall said the district was approved to participate in the USDA's Community Eligibility Provision program.

"It makes it a whole lot easier for parents that are riding that line between free, reduced and paid; they don't have to worry about affordable meals for their kids, they can just eat free breakfast and free lunch," Hall said.

Now all a student has to do is fill up their tray, come to the end of the lunch line, enter in their pin and then it registers as a free meal,

Hall expects more students to take advantage of the free program, especially breakfast.

For Webb, he's happy the free meals are being offered.

“Yeah it helps me out. I'm the only income in the house and my wife is a stay-at-home mom,” he said, “to know that money doesn't have to come out of my pocket and they're willing to do that for us is a pretty good deal."

Families believe the program will help parents hold on to that extra money to provide for their children.

"Just hate I missed it. Honestly it would of been a help, but if there's a need for it, it's great," said Muskogee resident, Glennetta Mayes.

The free meals will last for four years for students at Cherokee Elementary, the Early Childhood Center, Grand Foreman Elementary, Harris Jobe Elementary, Irving Elementary, Pershing Elementary and Whittier Elementary.

For more information about the Community Eligibility program, you can visit their website.