Lunch Menus/Food Services

* FREE for all students through June 30, 2022.

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Elementary Schools: Elementary school students can get breakfast at school.  The cost is $1.15 daily ($5.75 per week) for grades K-6. The cost is $1.50 per week for all students who receive a reduced cost breakfast. Students receiving free lunch also get breakfast for free! Students must sign up for each week the Thursday before the week in which you want your child to have lunch. Ask your school office for more information.

Middle Schools: Middle School students can get breakfast at school. The cost is $1.40 daily ($7.00 per week) for grades 7 and 8, or $1.50 per week for all students who receive a reduced cost breakfast. Students receiving free lunch also get breakfast for free!  Students must sign up for each week the Thursday before the week in which you want your chld to have lunch. Ask the middle school office for more information.

Hamden High School:  Hamden High now offers breakfast for students. A variety of breakfast selections will be available every day to students in the cafeteria from 7:00–9:00am. Free and reduced meal benefits will apply to this program. A full-price breakfast is $1.40 and the reduced price is $0.30 daily. Students receiving free lunch also get breakfast for free. Students may inquire about this program in the cafeteria or call 203-230-1010.
 

Parents, this is very important. You MUST send in a note on the Thursday before the week stating that you would like your child to receive breakfast. Ask your school office for more information.

Free and Reduced Priced Meals are Available! 

You might be surprised how easy it is to qualify your child for free or reduced-priced meals each day. Eligibility is based on family size and income. Click here to view the Press Release describing the program and eligibility requirements. 

To apply for free or reduced-priced meals through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs please complete an application and return to the main office in your student’s school (only complete one application per household). You can download the application (Download the application in English  or  Download the application in Spanish) or pick up a copy at any of our schools.  PLEASE NOTE THAT THE APPLICATION MUST BE COMPLETED EACH YEAR - EVEN IF YOU WERE PART OF THE PROGRAM PREVIOUSLY.

For further instructions to complete the school meals application and/or additional information about benefits available to you and your child(ren), view the Parent Meals Letter, Parent Meals Letter (Spanish), Addendum B-Husky, Addendum B-Husky (Spanish),  Addendum C- SNAP, and Addendum C-SNAP (Spanish).  

Hamden has set up a system to make it easier for kids to purchase meals at school. This system allows parents to set up an account for their child and add money to the account as needed for student meals. Students simply enter their account code at the cafeteria register and are able to purchase meals without having to worry about having cash available.

The Simple Way to Pay For Students Meals

You can sign-up online or download the app at www.myschoolbucks.com You will need your child's Student ID # to finalize the set up. 

Access MY SCHOOL BUCKS by going to the website
or downloading the application by clicking on the links below.

Lunch Charge Procedures

The Food Service Department utilizes a computerized POS (Point Of Sale) system to keep track of a student’s personal meal account. Students may purchases meals with the funds that have been deposited into their personal meal account.  Cash and checks are also accepted at the school offices and/or cafeteria cash registers. 

Elementary School Level: As a courtesy and convenience, the Food Service Department at Hamden Public Schools extends “credit" to elementary students purchasing lunch, with the understanding that there are “occasional moments” when lunch money is lost, forgotten or inadvertently overlooked. Please be aware that we rely on all lunch revenue to sustain the lunch program and to continue serving nutritious, appetizing meals. We ask that “charging privileges” be exercised as infrequently as possible and not used as a payment practice.

Upon reaching the “charge limit” of $8.00, students will be offered the menu item of the day. Notification of charge balances are sent home weekly from each school in the form of a letter. We recommend that parents monitor the balance in their child’s lunch account to avoid negative balances.  Parents can monitor this on-line (MySchoolBucks.com) or contact Whitsons at 203-230-1010.

Middle School Level: As a courtesy and convenience, Hamden Middle School extends credit to students to purchase lunch, with the understanding that there are occasional moments when lunch money is lost, forgotten, or inadvertently overlooked.  We ask that “charging privileges” be exercised as infrequently as possible and not used as a payment practice.  Middle School students may borrow funds from the main office to pay for a single lunch with the expectation that the money borrowed would be repaid the next day.  Should the funds not be repaid, the student would not be able to borrow again.  Additionally, all unpaid funds would be considered an unpaid obligation and subject to records withholding as per BoE policy.  A courtesy phone call notifying families of any unpaid balances to the main office will be made weekly.  We recommend that parents monitor the balance in their child’s lunch account to avoid the need to borrow.

High School Level:  High school students are responsible to make payment for their lunch in advance or in the lunch line. Special circumstances will be considered on an individual basis for charge privileges.

SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which offers nutrition assistance to eligible individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities. SNAP helps individuals and families purchase food at participating supermarkets, groceries, and farmers' markets. This federally funded program was created to help income-eligible recipients eat well and stay healthy. The program is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture and the CT State Department of Social Services.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement for Child Nutrition Programs

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits.  Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.  Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

(1)  mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights,1400 Independence Avenue, SW  Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

(2)  fax: (202) 690-7442; or

(3)  email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Student Meal Prices for 21-22: