FILE — Butler Area School District food service staff members Melinda Wilbert, left, and Elizabeth Whitmire load up school lunches at the drive through lunch pick up at Emily Brittain Elementary School on Mar. 18, 2020. Multiple school districts countywide began pick-up meal programs for students after schools were told to close for two weeks.

There are potentially 17 million American children who are facing hunger as a result of the pandemic, according to the nonprofit organization Feeding America.

Local school districts are taking steps to make sure those children aren't in Butler County.

Through waivers issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, schools are offering children 18 and younger free meals through the end of the school year.

As the food services director for Karns City School District, Alex Spalding said the waivers provide some much-needed assistance.

“The Karns city area is an area in which a decent portion of families are struggling to provide meals for children,” Spalding said.

Sanctioned by the United States Department of Agriculture, the waiver allows districts to feed all children within their limits, not just those enrolled in school.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appears in Sunday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.