No Food? Yakima Parents Say Our Schools Are Running Out of Meals

Could this be a 'canary in the coal mine?' Multiple parents in the city of Yakima and West Valley are voicing concerns that their children’s public schools are not serving adequate meals, and some are saying that their kids’ schools have been completely running out of food.

It has been quite a couple of years since my daughter attended in-person public school in the Yakima School District. It became a hot button issue where she would be so hungry in her classes, the teachers would send me notes about it.

I had no idea she was not eating breakfast because I knew the kids got it for free, so when I asked her what was going on, she told me that her school was out of breakfast foods (cereals and fruits).

She said sometimes all that was left in the cafeteria line was milk. That's when I decided to buy selected breakfast and lunch groceries for my kid that she liked so that she wouldn’t go all day being hungry in school.

Fortunately, I was able to afford that, but many families in Yakima aren't in that position. (See also: Yakima Valley Inspired Kids Lunches)

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Are Yakima Schools Facing Food Shortages Despite Federal Funding?

The city of Yakima has a high poverty rate, much higher than the national average. Since 2014, the Department of Agriculture has sent the Yakima school district federal funding to provide free breakfast and lunch meals to all students, no matter the family's income via the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program.

FUN FACT: You know how the YSD school district urges parents to fill out those “income-bracket” survey forms? I always thought they were tied to the free breakfast/lunch program, but actually, they help schools get state funding for before and after school programs.

WHAT'S ON THE MENU?

A look on the Yakima School District sample lunch menu shows options including hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken alfredo, and turkey & cheese sandwiches. Each meal comes with a vegetable, fruit, and milk. (Note: There are currently no menu meal options listed for students with special dietary needs, like vegetarian, pescatarian, or gluten-free.)

Parents Report Concerns About Meal Quality and Availability

Local parents and guardians in a Yakima-based Facebook group recently spoke about the alarming trend of schools running out of food. It saddened me to read the comments.

As you will see in the gallery of comments below, some of them expressed shock, some blamed the government for using our taxes to pay for free school meals, and others figuratively shook their heads in disappointment that some school kids tell their parents they are going hungry when they were expecting a free meal.

(Names have been protected for privacy.)

I know from first-hand experience that high school students in the Yakima School District are free to grab lunch off-campus, should they be able to afford their own meals at the area fast-food places.

Parents report that their West Valley students get free meals based on an income-based option. (They are not considered to be a high poverty town.)

“If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered in poverty. The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes and does not include capital gains or noncash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps). “ - U.S. Census

*The latest poverty rate statistics in Yakima is 16.5% (2022), while the national average is 11.5%.