Category Archives: School lunch

Call for Flexibility with Federal School Meals – Year 2025 (CA Dept of Education)

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In a press conference at the California Department of Education (CDE) today, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announced efforts to allow for flexibility in students’ access to nutritional services in response to the continued uncertainty of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This includes the filing of federal waivers to allow for existing federal funding for meal programs to provide food for hungry children beyond the school day and over the holidays.

Superintendent Thurmond was joined at the press conference today by members of the California School Employees Association (CSEA), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and leaders from the California Association of Food Banks, SupplyBank.org, the California School Nutrition Association, End Child Poverty, and other advocacy groups.

Source: Call for Flexibility with Federal School Meals – Year 2025 (CA Dept of Education)

School’s out, lunch is in – Times Herald Online

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By Robin Miller

While school may be out for summer, the kitchens at Vacaville Unified School District are still bustling with activity — and the lunch line is just as popular.

Thanks to the district’s Summer Meals Program, children 18 and under can enjoy free breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday at four locations throughout Vacaville. From savory main dishes to colorful fresh fruit and boxed items, the program is helping to bridge the nutritional gap that can open up when school lets out and the regular lunch program pauses.

Source: School’s out, lunch is in – Times Herald Online

Solano school districts serve up free summer meals programs – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

School is out. Yet for some children, hunger is always in and stomachs may growl, but not for long, as several Solano area school districts are offering free summer meals, breakfast and lunch in most cases, until classes resume in August.

Source: Solano school districts serve up free summer meals programs – The Vacaville Reporter

Offer versus Serve Waiver in the SFSP – Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

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On May 13, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the use of a statewide waiver requested by the California Department of Education (CDE) for non-School Food Authority (SFA) Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) operators to utilize the offer versus serve (OVS) meal service option on a case-by-case basis. This waiver is effective May 1, 2025, through September 30, 2025. To utilize this waiver, sponsors must complete and submit an OVS attestation form and receive prior approval from the CDE before implementing the OVS meal service option.

Source: Offer versus Serve Waiver in the SFSP – Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

Fees for Electronic Payment Services in the School – Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

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On November 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued Policy Memorandum SP 04-2025 Fees for Electronic Payment Services in the School Meal Programs. The memorandum clarifies policy related to fees associated with electronic (online) payments in the School Meal Programs and ensures students who are determined eligible for free or reduced-price meal benefits receive the benefits they qualify for without incurring additional fees. Effective school year (SY) 2027–28, families with students eligible for free or reduced-price meals must not be charged any fees associated with the cost of a meal, including fees for using electronic payment services.

Please note the policy requires school food authorities (SFA) to provide families with at least one free and accessible method of making deposits to a student’s account, even if student’s accounts are only used to purchase a la carte foods. As an alternative, SFA’s may charge online services to the nonprofit school food service account (cafeteria fund) if the service is determined to be reasonable and necessary for the operation of school food service.

Source: Fees for Electronic Payment Services in the School – Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

Summer Food Program Applications Are Now Open – Year 2025 (CA Dept of Education)

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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has announced that applications will be available for the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) on February 18, 2025. The SFSP and SSO are federally funded, state-administered programs that serve free meals to children eighteen and younger when school is out of session. Summer meals provide children with access to essential nutrition during school closures and summer break. In the summer of 2024, SFSP and SSO operators served more than 15 million meals to children throughout the state.

“The partnerships that the California Department of Education has with local community organizations throughout the state are vital to the success of the Summer Meal Programs,” said Superintendent Thurmond. “Our ability to reach California’s most vulnerable children would not be possible if organizations did not apply to participate as sponsors or meal service sites.”

Source: Summer Food Program Applications Are Now Open – Year 2025 (CA Dept of Education)

Availability of the 2025-26 Breakfast Grant – Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

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The California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division is sending this message to announce the availability of School Year 2025–26 School Breakfast Program (SBP) and Summer Meal Programs (SMP) Start-up and Expansion Grants.

Background Information

The State Legislature appropriates approximately $1.017 million in the annual state budget for SBP and SMP Start-up and Expansion Grants. California Education Code Section 49550.3, authorizes the CDE to award competitive grants of up to $15,000 per school site for nonrecurring expenses incurred when initiating or expanding an SBP or SMP.

Source: Availability of the 2025-26 Breakfast Grant – Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

Waiver for Non-congregate Meals During Ramadan – Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

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To promote nutrition security and health equity and to ensure children have access to the nutrition they need, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the California Department of Education’s (CDE) waiver request to allow school food authorities (SFA) to offer non-congregate meals to students fasting during Ramadan.

SFAs must request pre-approval from the CDE to use meal service flexibilities for students who are observing Ramadan by completing and submitting the online California Waiver for Non-congregate Meals During Ramadan Opt-in Survey.

Source: Waiver for Non-congregate Meals During Ramadan – Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

Sacramento’s free summer lunch programs, no questions asked | abc10.com

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School districts and community organizations across the Sacramento region are offering free summer meals.

For most programs, kids ages 18 and younger can get free breakfast and lunch with no qualifications or paperwork required.

The Sacramento Public Library is offering free lunches at 14 library locations throughout Sacramento County. Their meals are offered Tuesday through Friday from 12-1 p.m. starting June 18.

Source: Sacramento’s free summer lunch programs, no questions asked | abc10.com

SPI Commends Launch of “SUN Bucks” Meal Program – Year 2024 (CA Dept of Education)

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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today commended the launch of SUN Bucks External link opens in new window or tab., a new federally funded food program designed to ensure that qualified children have adequate nutrition while in school, is available for the summer. This new program is being implemented by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) in partnership with the California Department of Education (CDE).

SUN Bucks will provide $120 in food benefits per child to supplement summer meal programs with direct support to students’ households. Most qualified children are automatically enrolled and will receive EBT cards in the mail.

“I am very proud that California is among the first states in the nation to issue SUN Bucks benefits to our youth. As someone who depended on government assistance in order to combat childhood hunger, I know how critical it is to ensure that our children have access to food that supports their healthy growth and development. We know that the nutritional needs of our students do not take a break when school lets out,” Thurmond said. “The combination of SUN Bucks and the California Universal School Meals Program shows our children that we are committed to showing up for them year-round.”

Source: SPI Commends Launch of “SUN Bucks” Meal Program – Year 2024 (CA Dept of Education)

Meal seconds will cost students more in coming year | dailyrepublic.com

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By Susan Hiland

The Travis Unified School District governing board approved an increase in price for second servings in the cafeteria at the Tuesday night meeting.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service requires that the price of an adult meal must fully cover all costs, including the USDA Food’s fair market value.

The breakfast and lunches served are still free but if students wants seconds, they will have to pay for it.

Source: Meal seconds will cost students more in coming year | Education | dailyrepublic.com

Travis Unified to serve free meals during next school year – Daily Republic

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Travis Unified School District will continue to serve free meals under the National School Lunch / School Breakfast Programs during the 2023-24 school year, the district announced.

All TK-12 students will be served lunch and breakfast at no charge at Center, Travis and Scandia elementary schools in Fairfield; Cambridge and Foxboro elementary schools in Vacaville; as well as Golden West Middle School and Vanden High School, both in Fairfield.

Source: Travis Unified to serve free meals during next school year

Vacaville School District offers free summer meals – Daily Republic

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The Vacaville School District is offering free meals for children and teens this summer.

Meal boxes are available for anyone 18 years old and younger during June. Each box includes fresh items to make meals at home.

The meal boxes are available from 6 a.m. to noon Wednesday at Padan Elementary School, 200 Padan School Road, Thursday and June 16 at Fairmont Elementary, 1355 Marshall Road, and Friday and June 17 at Markham Elementary, 101 Markham Ave.

Source: Vacaville School District offers free summer meals

9-Year-Old Wins Protest Against School’s Lunch Menu — ‘What Do We Want? Chocolate Milk!’ | CafeMom.com

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By Genny Glassman

A 9-year-old boy and his classmates at Sierra Vista K-8 School in Vacaville, California, wanted to bring chocolate milk back to the school lunch menu — and they were willing to fight to make it happen. Fourth grader Jordan Reed led the protest on February 4 to bring the drink back to lunchtime. And after students used their voices to encourage the school to make the change — they won.

Source: 9-Year-Old Wins Protest Against School’s Lunch Menu — ‘What Do We Want? Chocolate Milk!’ | CafeMom.com

Students Protest Removal of Chocolate Milk From School Lunch Menu – Newsweek

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By Nick Mordowanec

A group of students were not happy with their school district’s recent decision to remove chocolate milk from the lunch menu, so they galvanized and staged their own outdoor protest.

The group effort worked to bring chocolate milk back, albeit in a very limited capacity.

The student body backlash took place last Friday at Sierra Vista K-8, part of the Vacaville Unified School District in Vacaville, California.

Source: Students Protest Removal of Chocolate Milk From School Lunch Menu

Applications for Free Summer Meal Programs – Year 2022 (CA Dept of Education)

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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today announced that applications are available for the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO), both federally funded, state-administered programs that serve free meals to children eighteen and younger when school is out of session. Summer meals provide children with access to essential nutrition during school closures and the summer break.

Summer meal programs have provided children with essential meal service throughout the pandemic. From January 2021 through November 2021, nutrition programs including SFSP and SSO have provided more than 967 million meals to children throughout the state.

“Our summer meal sponsors were critical in allowing us to meet the demands brought on by the COVID crisis, and I commend our school districts and other organizations that made these meals possible,” Thurmond said. “The ability to feed the most vulnerable kids throughout the state, in multiple locations, would not be possible if these organizations did not participate.”

Source: Applications for Free Summer Meal Programs – Year 2022 (CA Dept of Education)

Vaca district tests open lunch policy for all high schoolers – Daily Republic

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By Matt Miller

The Vacaville School District is testing out a new pilot program this school year that allows any high school student who chooses to do so to leave campus during the lunch hour.

All secondary schools are continuing to offer free lunches on campus and many students are taking advantage of that opportunity, school district officials report. But allowing students to leave, if they choose, makes for quicker food distribution on campus and more adequate physical spacing to deal with Covid-19 concerns, school officials said.

“It’s been so far, so good,” said Ed Santopadre, assistant superintendent for education services. “We haven’t compared any of the data yet, but I think they are starting to figure out if they want to go off-campus or stay for the free lunch.”

Source: Vaca district tests open lunch policy for all high schoolers

Travis Unified School District to stop charging for student meals – The Vacaville Reporter

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Effective for the 2021-22 school year, Travis Unified School District will serve meals at no charge to enrolled students.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved use of the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), which allows local school districts to provide no-cost meals to all enrolled students for the duration of the 2021-22 school year.

The income survey, found on Titan, allows the district to receive funding that provides access to programs and services to help children better succeed. These programs include, but are not limited to, pandemic EBT, reduced/free bus passes, reduced/free AP testing at Vanden and letters available for reduced internet eligibility.

Source: Travis Unified School District to stop charging for student meals – The Vacaville Reporter

Free school meals for all here to stay in California – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Ali Tadayon, EdSource

With 1 in every 6 children facing hunger in the U.S., California is the first state to promise every public school student — all 6 million of them — free school meals.

The universal school meals program, which will launch in the 2022-2023 school year, is part of the landmark state budget agreement reached between Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature last month. Days later, Maine became the second state to commit to offering a universal school meals program with the signing of its budget.

The program ensures that all students will be offered breakfast and lunch at their school, which state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, said is “essential to learning.” Skinner has led the effort to establish a universal school meal program.

Source: Free school meals for all here to stay in California – The Vacaville Reporter

Vacaville School District offers free summer meals – Daily Republic

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The Vacaville School District is offering free meals through its Summer Feeding Plan to anyone 18 and under.

No IDs are required. Meals will be distributed on-site daily (masks are required) or with a weekly box service at selected locations.

Those students who visit the daily site will receive a hot lunch and a breakfast for the next morning.

Each weekly box contains various options for students to try, containing fruits, vegetables and more. An adult might need to help prepare some items in the box.

Source: Vacaville School District offers free summer meals