CLINT, Texas – A school district on the southern border will now serve dinner to students, thanks to money from the USDA.

The Clint Independent School District has served about 15,000 free after-school dinners to children since the meal program started this school year, school employees tell the El Paso Times.

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“Any child age 18 and younger can get a free dinner, regardless of whether or where the child attends school,” according to the paper.

School leaders learned of the USDA program after attending a conference in Houston “and thought it would be a good fit for Clint.”

“Kids immediately after school are always hungry,” Associate Superintendent for Operations Morris Aldridge says.

According to Aldridge, free dinner helps increase the number of students who participate in after-school programs like tutoring, computer classes and life skills lessons.

“When we can provide that meal for kids, it makes it a lot easier (for them) to stay, because they’re not hungry at that time,” he said.

Clint isn’t the first district to offer three daily meals to students.

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In January, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie touted an after-school dinner program in six Camden schools.

He said he believes “it can really greatly impact their academic performance,” according to NJ.com.

Christie called it an “innovative kind of program” that can show parents “the success and satisfaction that comes from watching your student improve everyday,” according to the paper.

In August, the Flagler County, Florida school board voted unanimously to have all six of their elementary schools participate in the federal government’s “Afterschool Meals Program,” MyNews13.com reports.

Flagler school leaders hope that by replacing the snack with a hot meal, “even more working parents will enroll their children in after-school programs to take advantage of a dinner,” MyNews13.com adds, EAGnews reported at the time.