Public schools in Pitt County are celebrating National School Lunch Week a week late this year, and students are eating for free, both due to recent hurricanes.

School officials made the decision to postpone the weeklong child nutrition emphasis following Hurricane Michael, Pitt County Schools Child Nutrition Director Gretchen Wilson said. Countywide school closings on Oct. 11 caused schools to miss deliveries of menu items planned for School Lunch Week., which has the theme “Lots 2 Love.”

But it was another hurricane, Florence, that brought free breakfast and lunch to students in the school system. Because Pitt County Schools is included under the Major Presidential Disaster Declaration, all students will continue to receive free breakfast and lunch through Oct. 31.

“It doesn’t matter their status,” Wilson said. “Every child no matter their income eats for free right now.”

From Sept. 17 through Oct. 31, school breakfast and lunch meals are free to all public school students throughout Pitt County. This applies to standard breakfast and lunch meals and does not include a la carte items purchased separately from school meals.

Pitt County child nutrition officials were informed of the federal disaster relief aid designation two weeks after it began, so students who paid for breakfast or lunch between Sept. 17 and Oct. 1 have had their accounts reimbursed for those meals.

Wilson said the U.S. Department of Agriculture will reimburse Pitt County Schools the full rate for each meal, so the school system will not be forced to absorb any of the costs associated with the meals.

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