It is difficult to spend all day in school when your stomach growls like a hungry lion. Hungry kids have trouble learning and participating in class work, and hunger even affects recess and sports activities.

Fortunately, all Brea Olinda Unified School District students, from preschool through high school can receive free breakfast and lunch every day for the 2023-24 school year.

“Under the Universal Meal Program public school districts are required to provide two meals at no-charge (breakfast and lunch) during each school day,” Assistant Superintendent Rick Champion said.

The Universal Meal Program is a statewide program benefiting all California public schools.

At present, about 1,800 free breakfasts and 3,000 free lunches are served at the district’s schools. It doesn’t seem that as many students as could are taking advantage of the program since there are 5,866 K-12 students in the district.

Remember bringing milk money to school to purchase a carton of milk to go with your sack lunch? My brother often lost his money. Well, today that’s not a problem because milk is no longer sold at Brea’s schools. If kids bring their lunches and want milk, they get it free, along with a piece of fruit and a vegetable.

What if a child only wants the milk? They have to take all three items and either eat them, trade with another student or drop them into the “share box,” where students deposit the food they don’t want. That way, a student who wants another apple, for example, can see if there are any in the share box.

And the leftover items in the share box are donated to Abound Food Care, an Orange County nonprofit corporation that collects excess editable food from schools, restaurants, hotels, grocery stores and growers and works with food banks, pantries and other nonprofits who prepare and distribute meals to those in need. So much better than being tossed in the trash can.

Champion explained that while parents are not required to submit a meal application in order for their students to receive the free meals, they are encouraged to do so to take advantage of the additional benefits of the program, depending on the family’s income. Some of those benefits include discounted AP exam fees, athletic fee waivers, discounted bus passes and Internet service.  Families can apply at family.titank12.com.

Another reason to fill out the application is that the school district gets additional reimbursements from the feds and the state for eligible families. It takes just a few minutes to fill out the form, and is so beneficial for many families. Champion noted that only about 19% of the district’s enrollment has completed the application for this school year. Why wait, folks?

Something kids and a lot of adults are waiting for is Halloween. Some Brea churches are having Trunk or Treat events on Halloween or in the days before.  Kids can go trick or treating from car trunk to car trunk in the church’s parking lot and a lot of people decorate their trunks and truck beds for fun.

And, on Halloween from 5 to 7 p.m., Treat on the Street takes place for the fifth year in Brea Downtown. It is always fun to take the kids trick or treating at all the restaurants and shops on both Birch Street and Brea Boulevard.

Terri Daxon is a freelance writer and the owner of Daxon Marketing Communications. She gives her perspective on Brea issues twice a month. Contact her at  [email protected].