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Food services: 38 schools provide universal free meals under CEP; division served 8.8 million meals last year
Summary
Director Rachel Amato told the board 38 schools qualified for the USDA Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), that over 21,600 students are being served no‑cost meals under CEP and that the division served more than 8.8 million student meals last year.
Chef Rachel Amato, director of food services, briefed the school board on Sept. 9 about meal programs, kitchen upgrades and nutrition efforts. Amato said the division operates the federally subsidized National School Breakfast and Lunch programs under U.S. Department of Agriculture rules and that meal prices for paid students are $1.60 for breakfast and $3.05 for lunch.
"Children learn better when they aren't hungry," Amato said, summarizing research the division relies on when expanding meal access. She said 38 schools had qualified for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) this school year, allowing all students at those sites to receive no‑cost meals; about 21,600 students benefit from CEP. In addition, food services reported roughly 13,600 students qualified for free and reduced benefits at non‑CEP sites. Combined, the division said, more than half of enrolled students receive no‑cost meals.
Amato said the division served more than 8,800,000 student meals during the previous school year and is expanding scratch cooking initiatives and kitchen modernizations to support those efforts; 53 school kitchens have been modernized and three received new HVAC upgrades this summer. Food services also described farm‑to‑school activities (47 active school gardens) and student culinary engagement such as food trucks, culinary clubs and student senior projects.
Board members asked how families learn about CEP and free/reduced benefits. Amato said the division sends weekly notifications, uses the PrimeroEdge/SchoolCafe online application system and that schools can also assist families directly.
Ending: Food services officials requested continued board support for kitchen modernization and outreach so families aware of CEP and related benefits beyond meals, such as Internet or fee waivers that rely on free/reduced eligibility determinations.
