"We were very fortunate to be able to offer free meals to our families, as were so many other districts across the state," Melissa Nunnelly, district child nutrition director, said. "We hope this helped to relieve some burden during this pandemic."

All Port Neches-Groves ISD students were eligible to receive free meals — one free breakfast and lunch per school day —for the duration of the 2021-22 school year.

The move came in conjunction with the Texas Department of Agriculture's and the US Department of Agriculture's guidance to ensure the health of public school students.

Typically, a student's household must meet income eligibility requirements to qualify for free or reduced-price meals. 

While no application or eligibility determinations are required this year, an application process with income eligibility requirements for free and/or reduced meals is resuming for 2022-23. 

"Although we will not be able to offer free meals to all students next year, we look forward to serving our districts’ children and encourage those families that are experiencing financial burdens to complete a free and reduced meal application," Nunnelly said. 

Read more about that process by CLICKING HERE. 

For more information regarding the process for applying for free or reduced meals, contact Melissa Nunnelly at: mnunnelly@pngisd.org.