Editor’s note, 2:50 p.m. Oct. 31: In a bench ruling out of Rhode Island Friday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to pay federal nutrition benefits to millions of Americans amid the government shutdown using emergency funds. It wasn’t immediately clear if and when SNAP benefits will proceed.

As core food and nutrition benefits barrel toward expiring, Centre County schools appear prepared to continue offering assistance to qualifying students.

The nearly 42 million people in the U.S. who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will see those benefits end when the nation’s largest anti-hunger program expects to run out of money starting Nov. 1 due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Many Pennsylvania families who receive SNAP or other benefits are automatically approved for free or reduced-cost meals in schools across the commonwealth, including districts in Centre County, where nearly 9,000 residents stand to lose SNAP benefits.

The National School Lunch Program, not SNAP, works to reimburse districts for the free and reduced-price meals they serve. But the ongoing government shutdown may prevent districts from receiving reimbursements while meal programs continue.

Some Centre County districts, including the Bald Eagle Area School District, say they’re prepared to cover the costs of free and reduced-meal programs for eligible students while federal reimbursements are unavailable.

“Being educators, we are not going to let our students go hungry,” Bald Eagle Superintendent Christopher Santini wrote in an email to the Centre Daily Times. “We will continue to honor our free/reduced breakfast and lunch prices and eat the cost until there is a deal to end the federal government shutdown, pass a state budget or the district runs out money and is forced to take out a loan. Hopefully, that last option does not come first.”

Roughly 45% of Bald Eagle students qualify for free and reduced meals, according to Santini, who said the district’s meal programs received around $514,000 in federal subsidies for the 2024-25 school year. Bald Eagle officials are already working to foot a roughly $85,000 bill for September’s reimbursement while the district operates without its federal school lunch subsidy.

“The failure of Congress and the state legislature to do their jobs and come to a deal on the federal government shutdown and the PA state budget, at the expense of our local taxpayers, is inexcusable,” Santini wrote.

Pennsylvania included universal free breakfast for K-12 students in its 2023-24 budget and has since continued that program, which serves more than 500,000 meals each day across the commonwealth. Pennsylvania officials say universal free breakfast is increasing participation and helping schools serve more meals to students in need.

Free breakfasts are available with no qualifications needed for students in several local districts, including State College, Bellefonte and Penns Valley. They each told the CDT they plan to also continue offering free or reduced lunches to students while some key benefits and reimbursements are unavailable due to the ongoing government shutdown.

Laura Frye, Bellefonte’s director of food services, said the district expects to see an increase in participation among children whose families do not receive SNAP benefits as expected. Roughly 32.4% of Bellefonte students qualified for free and reduced meals as of October 2024.

“Taking advantage of free or reduced-cost meals at school may ease some stress on a family’s budget and provide peace of mind that school-age children are getting the nutritious food they need to learn while at school,” Frye wrote in an email. “Our school districts are actively planning and seeking ways that we can support our students and their families, and provide resources to secure access to food during these uncertain times.”

The Philipsburg-Osceola Area School District, which serves both Centre and Clearfield counties, will continue offering free breakfasts and lunches to students through its participation in the Community Eligibility Provision program, finance director Thomas Martin said. The CEP program, operated by the national nonprofit FoodCorps, has allowed the district to provide every student with breakfast and lunch without requiring households to submit applications.

Applying for free, reduced-cost meals

Some local districts indicated they will continue processing applications for free and reduced-cost meal programs as the school year continues.

State College families can apply to receive free or reduced meals at any time during the school year. The district processes applications through COMPASS, the commonwealth’s online tool that manages benefit information and houses applications for many health and human service programs. Bald Eagle’s district also accepts applications for free and reduced lunch through COMPASS.

Bellefonte’s district accepts applications year-round, too, and says that families impacted by furloughs, layoffs or losses of federal contract work may be eligible thanks to recent changes to program qualifications.

Penns Valley families can apply for free and reduced-cost meals through its online SchoolCafe portal. Lynn Naugle, the district’s business manager, noted that students retain their approved eligibility for these programs for the duration of the school year — even if SNAP or other qualifying benefits are later suspended or terminated.

More resources for Centre County families

YMCA of Centre County directly partners with Bald Eagle, Bellefonte, Penns Valley, Philipsburg-Osceola and State College’s school districts to distribute backpacks full of food each Friday throughout the school year. Families can fill out applications and return them to their children’s schools to potentially join the program.

Several food banks scattered throughout Centre County also stand to help residents in need as benefits dry up, though some said resources may be limited with federal funding in flux and Pennsylvania still without a state budget passed.

Centre County food banks

Potter Township Food Pantry

Address: 127 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Centre Hall

Food distribution times: Third Tuesday of each month from 12:30 to 3 p.m. or by appointment; In August, distribution occurs on the second Tuesday of the month

Areas served: Centre Hall Borough, Gregg Township, Haines Township, Millheim Borough, Penn Township and Potter Township

Food Bank of the State College

Address: 169 Gerald St., State College

Food distribution times: Mondays from 1 to 4:30 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 3:30 p.m.

Areas served: College Township, Ferguson Township, Halfmoon Township, Harris Township, Huston Township, Patton Township, Port Matilda Borough, State College Borough, Taylor Township and Worth Township

Howard Area Food Pantry

Address: 44 Vesper St., Beech Creek

Food distribution times: First Monday of each month from 1 to 3 p.m.

Areas served: Curtin Township, Howard Borough, Howard Township, Liberty Township and Marion Township

Snow Shoe United Methodist Church food pantry

Address: 502 Moshannon Ave., Snow Shoe

Food distribution times: Second Thursday of each month from 4 to 6 p.m.

Areas served: Burnside Township, Snow Shoe Borough and Snow Shoe Township

Philipsburg Community Action Food Pantry

Address: 14 S. Front St., Philipsburg

Food distribution times: Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., by appointment

Areas served: Philipsburg Borough, Rush Township

Faith Centre Food Pantry

Address: 135 S. Allegheny St., Bellefonte

Food distribution times: Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursdays from 1 to 5 p.m., with emergency hours Mondays and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon.

Areas served: Bellefonte Borough, Benner Township, Boggs Township, Milesburg Borough, Spring Township, Union Township, Unionville Borough and Walker Township

Centre Helps

Address: 410 South Fraser St., State College

Food distribution times: 24/7 for emergencies only

Areas served: All of Centre County

Centre House

Address: 217 East Nittany Ave., State College

Food distribution times: 24/7 for emergencies only

Areas served: All of Centre County

Service journalism reporter Trebor Maitin contributed to this report.

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