MUSCATINE, Iowa–With the school year fast approaching, food and nutrition staff have started planning for the year ahead to ensure students have nutritious breakfasts and lunches every day. Because having quality meals helps students learn their best, the food and nutrition department encourages all families to check if their school qualifies for free meals for all students through the Community Eligibility Provision or if applying for free or reduced lunch could benefit them.

Under the US Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision, schools with a certain percentage of their students in specific income brackets can provide free breakfasts and lunches for all students, regardless of if they completed a free or reduced lunch application. This year, the Muskie Early Learning Center and four elementary schools (Franklin, Jefferson, Madison, and McKinley) qualified, allowing them to serve free meals for all students.

At schools that do not meet Community Eligibility Provision guidelines, students can still receive free or reduced-price lunches if their families meet income requirements. Anyone applying for these programs can complete the Iowa Free and Reduced Application online. Families should complete applications sooner rather than later to ensure students can get assistance throughout the year. If a family completed an application in a previous school year, they must do so again to guarantee their children do not lose eligibility. As an added benefit, families who apply for free or reduced lunch may also find out that they qualify for financial assistance with certain school materials, transportation, and driver’s education fees they may face.

Muscatine Community School District food service department members near the site of the new centralized kitchen. File photo by Margaret Hurlbert.

According to Food and Nutrition Supervisor Alisha Eggers, 55% of Muscatine Community School District Students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Because so many students can take advantage of these meal options, she encourages families to apply so that she and her staff can serve their kids meals at an affordable price.

This year, the Food and Nutrition Department looks forward to serving as many students as possible and getting to do so from their new centralized kitchen near the Agricultural Learning Center. Scheduled to open this fall, staff will gradually transition from creating meals in the old Central Middle School kitchen to using the new location. With more advanced and diversified equipment, they anticipate making many items they could not have previously. ” I am very excited,” shared Eggers, adding that the centralized kitchen represents: “a dream project that I never thought I would see in my career. It is going to be great for our students as we begin to bake our own bread and buns and increase our scratch cooking.”