Grant Will Help Support AHPS Summer Food Service Program   Low Moor, VA (May 6, 2024) - Alleghany Highlands Public Schools has received a $4,600 grant that will help ensure that all children in the Highlands will remain nourished and healthy this summer. The grant from No Kid Hungry Virginia will be used by the school division to purchase insulated cargo containers and coolers for the Summer Food Service Program.  The program provides free breakfast and lunch to children 18 and under. No Kid Hungry is a national campaign run by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit organization working to address hunger and poverty. According to Feeding America, 9 percent of Virginia children under 18 live in households with limited access to nutritious food at some point during the year.  “No child should have to struggle with an empty stomach or stress about when they will eat again. This grant will help reach more kids with the food they need to grow up healthy, educated and strong,” said Sarah Steely, director of No Kid Hungry Virginia. AHPS’ partnership with No Kid Hungry Virginia helped the school division expand breakfast offerings at Alleghany High School this school year. No Kid Hungry provided a $13,400 grant to make that effort possible. “We are so grateful to No Kid Hungry for providing us with grant funding to benefit our students and the community. This latest grant we are receiving is very generous, and the $4,600 will help us maintain our Summer Food Service Program. So many of the participating families who have taken advantage of this wonderful program in past years have expressed their gratitude to us for providing this service,” said Debra Buckner, supervisor of child nutrition for AHPS. This summer, AHPS is planning to operate its Summer Food Service Program from June 17 through Aug. 7. The school division is currently working to establish distribution sites, based on a community-interest survey that was conducted earlier this spring. Prepackaged meals will be distributed one day per week. The packages will provide breakfast and lunch for seven days. Multiple meals are provided at once through a special provision for rural communities. Distribution sites and other information will be released in the near future. The meals are provided by AHPS through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  (Meals are provided pursuant to U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines and will be provided to all children without charge and are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability or age, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. To file a discrimination complaint, a complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form- 0508-0002-508-11-28-17.  The form can also be obtained by fax, email, or U.S. Mail from any USDA office by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation.  The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by: — Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410. — Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442. — Email: program.intake@usda.gov. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. The Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division was created on July 1, 2023, through the merger of Alleghany County Public Schools, Covington City Public Schools, and Jackson River Technical Center. The school division is jointly funded by Alleghany County and the City of Covington.  AHPS news and updates are regularly posted on Facebook at AHPublicSchools, and the division website www.ahps.k12.va.us.)

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