Just days before their child(ren) lose free/reduced meal benefits, nearly 1,000 Sioux Falls School District families who previously qualified, have not yet submitted the application. The federal meal program that assists struggling families allows a 30-day grace period at the start of a new school year. That gives families time to resubmit - and staff to process - the annual application. The grace period ends Friday, October 9, 2026.
Hungry Hearts is a non-profit organization led by community partners Jesse Severson and Mark Fonder. During the 2026 Legislative Session, they along with others, helped pass a law so the State will cover the cost of reduced-price meals that schools were covering on their own. The concern now is that struggling parents may think they no longer have to fill out the Free/Reduced Meal application to receive support.
“Families absolutely must have a Free/Reduced Meal Application on file before their student can be considered for donations from Hungry Hearts and the SFSD Angel Fund. If a family narrowly misses the income guidelines of the federal program, that’s when Hungry Hearts and the SFSD Angel Fund can step in to help. But, if there’s no application on file, then we have no way of knowing who qualifies,” says Jesse Severson of Hungry Hearts.
Child Nutrition Coordinator Gay Anderson is not expecting a significant drop in the number of families who need support with Free/Reduced Meals. “Gas prices and grocery costs are impacting everyone. Help us help your family. Just fill out the application,” Anderson says. The Sioux Falls School District consistently hovers between 48% and 50% of students who qualify for the USDA program.
For the past several years, Hungry Hearts has announced a matching gift of up to $100,000 of community donations each November. They are announcing that gift earlier this year in hopes of drawing attention to this need for applications to be completed.
Donations to Hungry Hearts and the SFSD Angel Fund can be sent to Child Nutrition Office, 1101 N. Western Ave or through Venmo. The Free/Reduced Meal Application can be completed at: https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application
View more information from today's press conference here: