Karin Marlin, Food Service Director
Mechanicsburg Area School District
100 East Elmwood Avenue
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
Phone-691-3437
Fax-691-3228
kmarlin@mbgsd.org
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Elementary Student Lunch $1.75
Secondary Student Lunch $2.00
Adult Lunch $3.25
Elementary Breakfast $1.00
Secondary Breakfast $1.00
Your child can benefit most from regular participation in school lunch. It can be a valuable part of a child's life.
Components of a lunch?
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Milk - 1/2 pint
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Bread - 8-10 servings per week
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Fruit and/or vegetable - 2 or more servings
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Meat, fish, poultry, cheese, egg, peanut butter, or dried beans
Offer vs. Serve
Offer versus serve is a serving method designed to reduce food waste and food cost in the National School Lunch Program. It is an option in our schools in the Mechanicsburg Area School District. There are five food items in the reimbursable school lunch. Every lunch must have protein, bread or grain, two fruits or vegetables and milk. All students are required to take at least three of the five food items. We would like to encourage all children to eat all five components but they have the option of selecting only three.
Why Should Your Child Participate in the School Lunch?
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It gives your child an opportunity to learn to eat a variety of foods.
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It instills good eating habits in your child.
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It makes sure that your child receives 1/3 of their daily food needs.
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It gives your child the opportunity to acquire social skills by eating with others.
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It builds a foundation to help insure strong bodies and alert minds.
School lunch is a part of the educational program. Providing a nutritional lunch for every student is our goal. The good eating habits formed during the maturing years will last a lifetime.
Questions on menus and our Food Service?
Please contact Karin Marlin, Food Service Director.
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Free/Reduced Meal Benefits
For the first time, families that have children attending a public school district can apply for free or reduced price school meals through the National School Lunch Program online using the Internet! This can be done using COMPASS. COMPASS allows Pennsylvanian's to apply for social service programs, such as Food Stamps (FS), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Energy Assistance, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), etc., online. Families can use COMPASS to apply for free or reduced price school meals only, or they can apply for other services at the same time (FS, TANF, etc.).
Since your child attends Mechanicsburg Area School District which is a public school district, you can apply for free or reduced school meals online by going to the COMPASS website at www.compass.state.pa.us or you can continue to use the paper "Household Meal Benefit Application" if you prefer. If you apply for free or reduced price school meals through COMPASS, you do not need to submit a paper application.
Free and Reduced Price Meal Benefit Application Material in 25 Languages
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/FRP/frp.process.htm
Eligible children can receive one full breakfast and one full lunch per day free of charge or at a reduced rate. A "full meal" includes the entree, the designated number of side dishes, and a milk. If a child chooses less than a "full meal", he is charged the a la carte price for the item(s) selected. (For example, eligible students who take just a milk will be charged $.40.)
An application must be completed and approved each school year. Eligibility from one school year is carried over into the next school year to allow time for families to re-apply. If a new application has not been received and approved by the cut-off date of September 25, 2008 eligibility for the program is forfeited, and parents are responsible for meal charges incurred.
Applications are sent home with students at the start of the school year. However, an application can be submitted at any time during the school year. Applications can be downloaded by clicking the link above. Applications are also available at your child's school office or by calling the food service office at 691-4523.
Students approved for subsidized meals at another school district are not eligible in our district until an application has been received and approved by the MASD. If you now receive Food Stamps, TANF Cash Assistance for you child, or your child is a foster child, your child is eligible for free meals but, an application must still be submitted.
Direct Certification
If you receive a letter before school begins stating that you are directly certified for free meals, you do NOT need to complete an application.
When will meal benefits begin?
Benefits will begin when your application is approved and you receive notice of acceptance. If you do not hear from us within 10 days, please call 691-4523. You are responsible for paying for meals until your application is approved. Once approved, your free or reduced meal information will automatically be programmed into your child's lunch account in the point of sale system and remain confidential. If eligible for free or reduced meals, your child is allowed one breakfast and one lunch at a reduced or free price. Your child may not give or loan his/her free or reduced meal benefits to another person.
GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS NOT HAVING LUNCH MONEY OR NOT PAYING LUNCH CHARGES
Students at the Senior High School and Middle School students in grades 7 and 8 are not permitted to borrow money for lunches. These students must pay for their lunch or a la carte items at the time of purchase. Students in grades 7 & 8 or at the Senior High level must have cash or have money in their accounts.
Students at the Elementary Schools and Middle School students in grade 6 will be allowed to borrow money for lunches. Students must pay cash or use money in their accounts for a la carte items. These lunch charges cannot exceed the cost of three lunches ($5.25) at the Elementary level and three lunches at the Middle school ($6.00).
If a student has charges totaling the cost of one or more lunches per school year the following steps will be taken:
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At the Elementary level written notices will be delivered to the student's classroom to be sent home with the child each time the child borrows lunch money. Each subsequent time the student fails to have lunch money, the student will be expected to either bring a lunch or pay full price for lunch.
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At the Middle School written notices will be mailed out on a weekly basis.
STUDENTS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE TO BORROW LUNCH MONEY AFTER THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT HAS BEEN BORROWED AND NOT REPAID.
