Hanover Township to launch Maschio’s-run lunch program Sept. 4 with central kitchen at Memorial Junior

Superintendent Justin Toomey announced Monday that Hanover Township School District will launch a districtwide lunch program run by Maschio's Food Service and operating under the National School Lunch Program, with Memorial Junior School serving as the initial central kitchen and a target start date of Sept. 4. "No matter what's gonna happen, school starts on September 4, and we need to be able to feed people," Toomey said.

The meeting presented why the district moved from PTA-managed meals to a contracted provider, described the RFP process and noted the board approved the vendor in July. Maschio's staff explained menus will follow the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the NSLP's "offer versus serve" rules: five meal components are offered (grains, meat or meat alternate, milk, fruits and vegetables), and students must select at least three, one of which must equal a half‑cup of fruit or vegetables, for a meal to count under the program.

Maschio's representatives described operational logistics: Memorial Junior will cook meals that are transported to other schools while Bee Meadow's kitchen is upgraded; each building will have serving stations with hot and cold options. Parents will be able to view menus on NutriSlice and use the PaySchools/point‑of‑sale system to create student accounts, add funds and place spending limits. Maschio's said elementary lunch prices will be $4, middle school $4.25, and a la carte items generally range from about $0.75 to $2.25.

On allergies, Maschio's nutrition staff Lorraine outlined the company's allergy-management program for life‑threatening allergies — typically cases with an EpiPen order — and said families seeking specialized menus must provide documentation from a licensed medical professional so the provider and school nurses can develop an approved plan. Lorraine described allergy kits (separate cutting boards and tongs, labeled containers) and said many supplied bakery items come from nut‑free facilities; the only peanut product noted was a prewrapped sandwich that is bagged separately.

Parents asked practical questions about cards, PINs and younger students. Maschio's said schools will decide how cards or PINs are distributed; parents can set daily spending limits and block specific a la carte items through the PaySchools portal, and auto‑replenishment emails can be enabled. On enforcement, Maschio's and district staff repeatedly stressed that under NSLP rules a child cannot be denied a lunch; a la carte purchases can be restricted if an account has insufficient funds. "According to the National School Lunch Program guidelines, we're not allowed to deny a lunch," a Maschio's representative said.

The presenters also addressed safety and staffing: employees working in schools will undergo fingerprint-based criminal-history background checks, and Maschio's said it will continue relationships with local vendors for some items (the session referenced a local pizza vendor). Families were told accounts roll over while the student remains in district and that remaining balances can be reimbursed by contacting the Board of Education if a family moves or a student graduates.

The district said contact information and a dedicated food‑service tab on the district website will be posted for follow-up questions, and an on‑site director plus a day‑to‑day contact (Sarah Angst) will oversee operations. The program team invited parents to email any follow-up questions and said staff will remain available to answer individual concerns ahead of the September start.