Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette
by Paige Eickhorn
July 14, 2023
U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Cindy Long visited Arkansas on Thursday to show support for the summer food program at Southwest Middle School in Searcy and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program services at Our House in Little Rock.
The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act allows school districts in rural areas to provide meal pick-up, instead of requiring parents to travel with their students to eat in lunchrooms for each meal.
During her stop in Little Rock, Long said a recent amendment to the law in December made the meal pickups possible, thanks in part to Sen. John Boozeman, R-Ark.
“Now those programs can not only serve kids if they’re together, but it can also do pick-up meals, parents can come with their kids and get meals sometimes for up to a week or two weeks. So … it really addresses that transportation problem,” she said. “I’m just so excited to see what folks are going to be able to do to better serve rural communities with that program.”
