All students at West Fargo's Willow Park Elementary School will eat for free this year. The school district says because at least 40% of Willow Park's students qualify for free meals, the school itself can now participate in the USDA's free breakfast and lunch program.

Read the full release below:

WILLOW PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO RECEIVE FREE MEALS

WEST FARGO, ND – (August 19, 2019) – As a high-poverty school, Willow Park Elementary School has qualified to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision, an option for qualified schools to offer free breakfast and free lunch to all enrolled students. The school is set to offer the free meals to students for the 2019 – 2020 school year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the federal agency that oversees the national school lunch program, also manages the Community Eligibility Provision. A school is eligible to participate in the program if at least forty percent of its prior year’s student population is eligible for free meals based on their participation in other specific assistance programs. For example, the forty percent may be identified by those students directly certified through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and/or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). All Willow Park students, no matter their demographic, will receive free meals while enrolled at the school for this year. The district’s other schools require payment for school meals, but families are encouraged to complete the free and reduced meal application form to determine if they are eligible for reduced-cost, or free, meals for their children. The application process considers family size, income, benefits, and additional forms of assistance.