REMINDER:
Free school meals available to all students

Translations

As you may be aware, breakfasts and lunches are free for all Brookline Public School students, aged 0-21, through June 30, 2022.

But you may not know is that from July 1, 2020 through June 1, 2021, the Food Service department has served 218,700 breakfasts and 359,833 lunches. This brought in a significant amount of federal dollars in the district money. Not only does this service save families time and money, but when your children eat school meals, it provides federal funds to the district.

Funding for Initiatives

This additional funding is being used to help the department attain its sustainability goals, including the following initiatives:

• Transition from using disposable supplies to purchasing reusable trays and utensils
• Assist with purchasing some dishwashing machines in schools, to be able to sanitize reusable trays, utensils and dinnerware
• Invest in farm-to-school initiatives to help the department grow its own food as well as provide nutrition education to students
• Invest in purchasing locally-grown organic foods for the program, while helping to reduce the department's carbon footprint
• Help to offset over $338,000 current outstanding balances of student food service accounts, helping to ensure ALL students have access to quality food, regardless of ability to pay
• Build a sustainable business model, ensuring that the program is self-sustaining financially

How you can participate

You still have time to help maximize the amount of federal dollars the program receives! It’s as easy as 1-2-3:

1. Have your kids participate by eating a school breakfast and lunch the days they are in school. Create an account at LINQ and start pre-ordering your kid’s meals today.
2. Sign up and participate in the Weekend Take Home Meals Program; breakfasts and lunches are given to students on Fridays at dismissal (see below).
3. Participate in the Remote Meal Pick Up Program: If your kids are in RLA, visit one of remote pick up locations on Wednesdays or Fridays and pick up a week’s worth of meals. (See below for more information.)

Already participating? Please continue to do so. We hope this initiative is helping you to save time and money, while offering your children nutritious meals.

P-EBT Funds Available

Brookline students who are eligible for free or reduced-priced meals in our school will get Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) funds through the 2020-2021 school year. P-EBT funds can be used to help you buy healthy food for your student and family. It’s important to stay healthy, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Free and Reduced Price Meal Program

While school meals are free for all students for the 2020-2021 school year, please note there are other benefits and assistance for those who typically would qualify for free and reduced price meals. In order to see if you qualify for these benefits, you will need to apply.

To apply:

• Go to LunchApplication.com.and click “Apply Now”. You will be required to provide your student’s Student Identification Number, which can be found in the Parent Portal.
• We will provide paper applications if needed, however applying online is highly encouraged.
• If you are having technical issues with the application use the help link on LunchApplication.com. Please feel free to contact the Food Service if you need additional assistance: 617-730-2499.