One day after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it will be extending free meal benefits to schools during the 2021-22 school year, Austin ISD announced it would be utilizing the program through June 2022.

“We are excited to offer healthy, tasty meals at no cost to all families, regardless of their household income,” AISD interim Director of Food Service Christine Steenport said in an April 22 news release. “Free school meals help with expanding food access in Austin while also providing comfort for students and convenience for families.”

According to AISD, the district will continue to offer meals that are funded through the federal Seamless Summer Option program, as it has since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. Through the program, AISD has distributed more than 3 million free campus meals and 4.2 million free curbside meals since March 2020, according to the news release.

Meals have been available to both in-person and virtual learners, their caregivers and any individual under the age of 19.