Thousands fewer Las Cruces students picking up meals, putting LCPS at risk of losing money

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico - When classrooms and cafeterias closed, some schoolchildren risked losing their main source of nourishment.

To solve that problem, Las Cruces Public Schools staffed meal pick-up zones across the city. However, there's been a sharp drop in the number of families picking up the meals.

"Numbers are just down across the board," Superintendent Karen Trujillo told board members on Tuesday.

According to this district data, thousands fewer students are picking up the meals:

• March 11th: 19,051 meals distributed to families
• August 24th: 4,336 meals distributed to families

Not only is there the risk of wasting food, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reimburses tee district for each meal that staffers serve students.

"We don't get reimbursed for meals if we don't serve them," Trujillo said. "That's a huge concern."

The district's budget depends on that federal reimbursement. It pays for not only the food, but the labor to make the food. If the meals aren't served, the district risks losing money.

Trujillo told board members the district is considering changing the time of the meal distribution, but for now, there will still be 19 grab-and-go sites and 30 bus routes to get kids the food they need.

"They're my kids," one bus driver told ABC-7 in March. "I want to make sure that they are fed."​