Free Meals for All Students
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) extended its National School Meal Waiver until June 30, 2022. Please note that school breakfast and lunch is FREE for all students in grades K-12. In addition, a free Packed Lunch Power Pack with three fresh add-on items is available to students who prefer to bring their lunch from home. Students must take all three fresh add-ons for the Packed Lunch Power Pack to be free. A la carte items will be an additional cost.
About School Meals
Goshen offers breakfast and lunch to all students. We serve more than 1,400 nutritionally balanced lunches to students each day.
School lunches provide one-third of the recommended dietary intake for calories, protein and vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. On average, a meal contains less than 30 percent of calories from fat and less than 10 percent from saturated fat. In recent years Goshen has increased the use of whole grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables. A good portion of our fresh produce is purchased through a USDA Produce Pilot Program from a farm in Florida, New York. All cooked products are either baked or steamed; nothing is fried.
Like lunch, breakfast is served each day. Eating a good breakfast is beneficial to all students. In fact, the USDA has determined that eating breakfast helps improve math, reading and standardized test scores, improves memory and performance, and decreases behavioral issues.
MySchoolBucks online payment system
The Goshen Central School District uses MySchoolBucks, a secure, online payment system that allows parents to quickly deposit money into their child’s school meal account at their own convenience.
Prepaid cash accounts
The Food Services Department offers prepaid cash accounts for parents who like to prepay for their child’s school meal accounts with cash or check. Learn more about prepaid cash accounts
Free- and reduced-price meals
Although Although school meals are FREE to students this year, applying for meal benefits is still very important. By applying for meal benefits, you may be eligible for:
- P-EBT Funding
- Free-or-reduced fees
- Reduced registration fees for AP, SAT and/or AP Exams
- Discounted rates on college application fees.
Your application affects funding in many areas, including:
- School funding
- Internet and technology
- Access to grants
- Resources for classrooms, teachers and children
Free and reduced-price meals are available to children who meet Federal guidelines. Applications are located in the center of the school calendar and are listed below in Adobe PDF format. Only one application is needed per family. Completed applications should be returned to the Food Service Department or a school nurse. Visit the Forms page to print the Free-and reduced-price meal applications
Meal Charge/Prohibition Against Meal Shaming Policy
Although payment for school meals is typically due at the time of the sale (through a prepaid balance, cash or some other means), the Goshen Central School District recognizes that at times, students are unable to make this payment for a variety of reasons. The district has established a school meal charge policy to provide clear information about how these situations will be handled, including steps designed to avoid any embarrassment of children. View the Meal Charge/Prohibition Against Meal Shaming Policy.
Summer meals available for students
The National Hunger Hotline, 1-866-3-HUNGRY, operated by WhyHunger, is a toll-free phone number available to people in need of food assistance. Families can call the National Hunger Hotline to find summer meal sites in their communities. Visit the USDA website to enter the zip code and zoom out for area locations.
