While many schools cut out free meals after the height of the pandemic, Sturgeon Bay School District has been able to keep its free breakfast program on the right track. During the pandemic, every student in the state, regardless of financial status, could take advantage of free breakfast and lunch thanks to an influx of federal funds. When the federal funding ended after the 2021-2022 school year, many districts shut down the free meals programs, reserving them for only needy students. Under the direction of Food Service Director Jenny Spude, the program has survived thanks to the buy-in of local businesses, grants, and other existing funding. She says it has been a great way to keep kids fed heading into the school day and introduce them to new items that are available locally. 

Spude actually credits the pandemic for reducing the stigma around the school lunch program and increasing staff and students’ participation in it in the years since.