A new outreach effort is underway to convince school board members, superintendents and child nutrition supervisors to take part in federal programs that provide free or discounted snacks and meals for children in Louisiana. Specifically, those involved with the outreach campaign want to see more participation in two federally-funded programs — the Summer Food Service Program, which services kids when they’re not in school, and the Child and Adult Care Feeding Program, which provides afternoon snacks and evening meals.
 
For most parishes, the programs are either free or offered at a reduced price. Private vendors are so eager to get more districts enrolled that they’re offering rebates of 5 cents to 10 cents off per meal for each day of service and for every child covered, even though the federal government underwrites the full amount.
 
“That rebate creates a new revenue source for schools,” said Ned Fasullo, the chief marketing officer for Louisiana-based Focus Foods. “They get to keep that revenue, which means school districts not participating are losing money.”
 
Yet Focus Foods is only operating in seven parishes. Currently in Louisiana, more than two-thirds of parishes aren’t participating in the Child and Adult Care Feeding Program and about 30 percent to 40 percent aren’t taking part in the Summer Food Service Program, due sometimes to schools being closed in summer months.
 
Dr. Nadine L. Mann, the chief financial director for the East Baton Rouge Child Nutrition Program, said the school district she works for was among the first in the state to embrace both programs.
 
When asked why more districts aren’t taking advantage of the federal programs, she said, “It’s beyond me. I don't even know. I don't understand why they are not picking up on it. I think labor is one issue. You have to make it work and there are shortages everywhere. I can't have overtime in my district, for example. But we make it work.”
 
Another problem may be perception. Bad actors have been uncovered in the program not only in Louisiana, but in other states, leading to embarrassing investigations and arrests.
 
“We’re in the wake of a lot of awful entities that tried to exploit the pandemic waivers and other aspects of the program to make as much money as they could,” said Fasullo. “So part of this outreach is to educate people about how this program really works, how it helps children in poverty and how school districts can actually benefit.”