State giving free lunch and breakfast to all Sarasota County students through Oct. 20

Students in Sarasota County Schools can eat free lunch and breakfast through Oct. 20.

Beginning Sept. 18, the National School Lunch Program will provide free meals to students in the 48 Florida counties given a FEMA Major Disaster Declaration, according to a statement on Monday from the Florida Department of Agriculture.  Nearly 3,000 schools and 2.5 million students will be affected.

“This will help families who lost power and those who are still without it,” according to a statement from Sarasota County Schools.

School resumed Monday after closing Sept. 8, during which time several were being used as hurricane shelters. 11 schools in the district lost power, and the 14 that were used as shelters had to be cleaned and sanitized before students could return.

“Our employees have worked hard in the last week to prepare schools to reopen,” the statement said. “However, we ask for everyone’s patience as we all readjust to normal routines. Some streets may still be blocked, affecting traffic for buses and private vehicles. There may be piles of debris on campuses. Parking lots will be open but drop-off and pick-up areas may be affected.”

Sarasota County issued the all-clear on Friday, indicating that conditions in the county were safe, but encouraged residents to continue using caution.