The Summer Food Service Program, managed by the Nevada Department of Agriculture extended free meals through Dec. 31 this year, meaning all Nye County School District students or non-students can receive free lunches.
The announcement, made by the SFSP, does not require students to fill out an application or register online. They only need to go to a drive-up service location listed below:
• Amargosa Elementary School, 777 E. Amargosa Farm Road, Amargosa Valley,
through Dec. 31, Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Beatty Elementary School, 301 N. 4th Street, Beatty, through Dec. 31, MondayThursday, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Beatty High School, pick up at Beatty Elementary School, same days and times.
• Tonopah Elementary Schools, 1220 Idaho Circle, Tonopah, through Dec. 31,
Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Tonopah High School, 1 Ray Tenant Way, Tonopah, through Dec. 31, MondayThursday, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Round Mountain, 59 Hadley Circle, Round Mountain, through Dec. 31, MondayThursday, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Gabbs Schools, 511 East Ave, Gabbs, through Dec. 31, Monday-Thursday,
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Hafen Elementary, 7120 S. Hafen Ranch Road, Pahrump, through Dec. 31,
Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Rosemary Clarke Middle School, 4201 N. Blagg Road, Pahrump, through Dec.
31, Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
• Pahrump Valley High, 501 E. Calvada Blvd., Pahrump, through Dec. 31,
Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Mount Charleston Pre-K, pick up at Hafen, Rosemary Clarke, or Pahrump Valley
High, through Dec. 31, Monday-Thursday.
• JG Johnson Elementary, pick up at Hafen, Rosemary Clarke, or Pahrump Valley
High, through Dec. 31, Monday-Thursday.
• Floyd Elementary, pick up at Hafen, Rosemary Clarke, or Pahrump Valley High,
through Dec. 31, Monday-Thursday.
• Manse Elementary, pick up at Hafen, Rosemary Clarke, or Pahrump Valley High,
through Dec. 31, Monday-Thursday.
According to Assistant Food Service Coordinator Kyera Glenn, of NCSD, the program is run every summer only but due to the coronavirus pandemic the United States Department of Agriculture extended throughout the end of the year.
“We’ve been actually running this program every summer for as long as I know,” She said. “But they are opening beyond summer time because of COVID.”
Nevertheless, funds may run out before time due to the financial crisis caused by the health emergency, and so certain limitations will be taken place to at least provide meals for those enrolled in the academic year.
“The only way that we will not be able to do it is if the state department runs out of summer feeding funds,” said NCSD Food Service Coordinator Jodi Martinez. “If that were to happened, we would go back to the National School Lunch Program which is just students that are enroll in school would receive meals instead of the 18 and under.”
The NSLP and the School Breakfast Program are run by the Community Eligibility Provision program that allows all students attending Nye County School District schools to receive free breakfast and lunch each school day.
The NCSD is the largest geographical school district in the contiguous 48 states. It educates more than 5,000 students per year in its more than 18,000 square miles. Nye County’s population has an estimate of 43,000 inhabitants and so 12 percent belong to NCSD.