DOWAGIAC — Come September, all Dowagiac Union School students will be eating for free.

Dowagiac Union Schools Food Services will provide all students will free lunch in the 2018-19 school year. The free meals will be offered to all students, regardless of whether or not they qualify for the free and reduced meal program.

The district is able to offer free lunches due to the number of students who qualified for the free and reduced lunch program. This year, the number of students who qualify for the national program was high enough that the district was able to offer all students free lunch and not lose money, said Director of Food Services for Dowagiac Union Schools Debra Cahill.

“We have been trying for the last couple years to see if we could make [this] part of the National School Lunch program happen,” Cahill said. “This year, we are able to do it.”

Cahill said offering free meals to all students offers many benefits, not the least of which is that it can take away some of the stigma from students who cannot afford lunches without assistance.

“There has always been a stigma with free lunch, so when you had that situation where your friends had to get free lunch, sometimes — not all the time — kids can point to that and say, ‘oh you’re not wealthy,’ or whatever it is they are going to say. That makes me sad,” Cahill said. “So, with this situation, we are giving each child the same opportunity.”

She also said that the new free lunch system will also help Dowagiac families save money.

“When you break it down, some [of our families] are paying $2.65 per day for an elementary student, times three kids, times five days. That starts to add up,” Cahill said. “This way, they don’t have to worry about that.”

Each provided lunch will contain a protein, a grain, a fruit, a vegetable and milk. Students will still have to purchase a la carte food items and second helpings. Because the school provided meals focus on nutrition, Cahill said the free meals may also help students lead a healthier lifestyle.

“We provide students healthy choices. … Sometimes those [healthy choices] are not there for them all the time, and at least we can say that at Dowagiac Union Schools, we provide that for them,” she said.

Cahill added that she believes offering free lunches will not only better serve their existing students, but may also draw in new families to the school district. She also said she would encourage parents to fill out the household information survey which the district will be sending out, as it will help the district apply for grants, which could provide more unique benefits to students.

“This is just one more thing for us to say to parents, ‘this is just one more thing we can do for your children,’” she said. “We want to provide the best for our kids.”