Due to COVID-19, the Freedom Area School District has had to make new changes to our learning program. Thus virtual learning and cancelation of certain sports. But one thing that has been a positive addition to this year has been the distribution of free school lunches to all students 18 and under. Because of school funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), our school is capable of preparing and distributing lunches for Freedom students.

The USDA only released this new funding program around our third week of school, meaning that for the first one or two weeks lunches still cost money. We did have access to free lunches when school was virtual last year, but the funds for that ran out sometime in June. Currently, there are four locations of distribution:the Freedom Middle School, Conway Elementary, Big Knob Elementary, and Unionville United Methodist Church. Every day, the women that work in the middle school cafeteria, along with Mr. Randy Walker, food service director, prepare meals and stand outside to give them out to students. This has been a positive impact on students as a whole and has been so successful that 300-400 lunches are handed out every day.