On October 23, 2025, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) announced that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) posted an important message on its website. According to the USDA Food and Nutrition Services, there may be a delay in issuing Food Assistance Program benefits for November 2025 due to the federal government shutdown.
Napoleon Community Schools understands that times are challenging for many families. We recognize that this delay could add to those difficulties, and we want to offer our support. Below, you will find information about resources available to families in need of assistance.
NCS Food Service Programs
Please be advised that school breakfast and lunch programs remain unaffected at this time. ALL students at Napoleon Community Schools will continue to receive FREE breakfast and lunch at school. We encourage you to remind your student(s) that this is available to ALL students at no cost.
Temporary Weekend Backpack Food Program
The Napoleon Food Pantry is preparing to launch a Temporary Weekend Backpack Food Program to support students and families within Napoleon Community Schools. This program will provide nutritious, easy-to-prepare food items to students who may need extra support over the weekends.
Each backpack will include a variety of foods to help ensure no child goes hungry when school meals are unavailable. The program is open to all families in the district who may benefit from additional food assistance while other programs are impacted by the government shutdown and on hold.
The program is open to all families in the district who may benefit from additional food assistance while other programs are impacted by the government shutdown and on hold.
The start date is still to be determined as we work diligently to secure the necessary resources.
If your family needs support, please SIGN UP HERE FOR THE BACKPACK PROGRAM by Tuesday, November 4th, 2025 so we can plan and prepare accordingly.
Let's Talk Privacy
This program will be run by school staff and volunteers. It’s important to remember that you should not feel afraid or ashamed to ask for assistance if your child needs it—times are tough! When we pack our weekly bags, helpers will only receive the total number of bags needed for each school, without any student names included. The school offices will manage the confidential lists of children, and outside volunteers will never have access to them.
The NAPOLEON FOOD PANTRY remains open to the public from 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm on the second Wednesday of every month at Napoleon High School, 201 West St, Napoleon, MI 49261. Parking & Entrance to the pantry is on the south side of NHS on Center Street, to the left of the Performing Arts Doors.
The following additional resources may also be helpful:
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) agencies in the state of Michigan on this interactive map: Where can I get TEFAP.
Find Help - Michigan 2-1-1 lists other local resources available at this time.
Additional List of Jackson County Resources
While we do our best to ensure the resources listed are current, things can change quickly. We encourage you to verify that each source is still available. We cannot guarantee that all resources listed remain accessible or up to date.