April Break Meals

There will NOT be any meal pickups during April vacation. We invite families to pick up meals on Friday April 16 to last them through the break. You may pick up from any of the normal remote pickup sites (including Ridley and Pierce).

IMPORTANT Changes Effective April 26

Translations

•   We will be reducing the number of Remote Meal Pickups to one day per week. Meals will be available for pick up on Fridays only between 5:00 and 6:00 pm.

•   Students attending school five days a week should order breakfasts and lunches for the days they are in school via LINQ. Weekend meals can be picked up on the way home on Fridays at 2:30 pm.

•   Remote Learning Academy (RLA) students can pick up seven days’ worth of meals on Fridays at the locations listed below. (Note: Ridley and Pierce will no longer be remote distribution sites.)

New Schedule starting April 26

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 September 30, 2021.

But you may not know is that as of the end of February, the Food Service department has served 115,000 breakfasts and 149,000 lunches. This brought in twice the amount of federal dollars in the district money than the entire 2019-2020 school year, and with four months left! 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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Language translations are also available to download.

Meals for the 2020-21 School Year

The USDA is allowing for free school breakfasts and lunches, for all students 18 and younger, through June 30, 2021 as a result of the global pandemic.

To accommodate for the new free meal initiative, 4 different student schedule types (e.g., RLA, full time in school, cohort A and cohort B) and having to package/label individual meals, please note the following:

• No application is needed to receive free meals. To receive other benefits associated with free/reduced price meals, please see the “Free and Reduced Price Meal Program” section below.
• To order meals for your students for days when they are physically in school, you must register and order via the LINQ system.
• Hybrid or fully-in-school students can pick up meals for days when they are not in school “on their way home” or through designed remote sites on Wednesdays or Fridays.
• Remote students can pick up 7 days’ worth of meals on either Wednesdays or Fridays.

Please click on the appropriate link below to get additional details on how to get meals for your student(s).

Remote Meals Pickup Times and Sites

To pick up meals to be eaten on remote days, RLA students can pick up meals once a week on either Wednesdays or Fridays from any of the locations below.

Hybrid and fully-in-person students can either pick up meals to be eaten on remote days on their way home from school (see details for your specific scenario above) or once a week on either Wednesdays or Fridays from any of the locations below.

Please note change: starting the week of January 11, Mondays will no longer be a pickup day. Pick up days will be Wednesdays and Fridays for the remainder of the school year.

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.