Edwards-Michelle@aramark.com
www.aramark.com

401-397-5125
lunch-coordinator@ewgri.gov

Exeter-West Greenwich RSD
Free and Reduced Lunch Coordinator
940 Nooseneck Hill Rd.
West Greenwich, RI 02817

Children need healthy meals to learn. Exeter-West Greenwich Regional School District offers healthy meals every school day.

Meal benefit applications are necessary and important. If your child is not approved for free school meals, you must add money to your school meal account to buy any meals, food or beverage items.

The information on your school meal benefit application may qualify your child for free or reduced-price lunch and other educational discounts, which benefits your child! It also helps our schools get important state and federal education funding, which also benefits your child!

Children need healthy meals to learn. Exeter-West Greenwich Regional School District offers healthy meals every school day. Breakfast costs $1.50; lunch costs $2.50 for PK-6 and $2.80 for 7-12. Your children may qualify for free meals or for reduced price meals. Reduced price is $0.30 for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch. Below are some common questions and answers to help you with the application process.

1.       Who can get free OR REDUCED PRICE meals?

·         All children in households receiving benefits from SNAP Rhode Island, The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) or RI Works, are eligible for free meals.

·         Foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court are eligible for free meals.

·         Children participating in their school’s Head Start program are eligible for free meals.

·         Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant are eligible for free meals.

·         Children may receive free or reduced price meals if your household’s income is within the limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines. Your children may qualify for free or reduced price meals if your household income falls at or below the limits on this chart.

1.       HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILDREN QUALIFY AS homeless, MIGRANT, OR RUNAWAY? Do the members of your household lack a permanent address? Are you staying together in a shelter, hotel, or other temporary housing arrangement? Does your family relocate on a seasonal basis? Are any children living with you who have chosen to leave their prior family or household? If you believe children in your household meet these descriptions and haven’t been told your children will get free meals, please call or e-mail Marie Ahern, Homeless Liaison, phone (401)-397-5125, Marie_Ahern@ewg.k12.ri.us

2.      Do I need to fill out an application for each child?  No. Use one Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application for all students in your household. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. Return the completed application to: Eileen Dunford at Exeter-West Greenwich Regional School District ~ Administration Building 940 Nooseneck Hill Road, West Greenwich, RI 02817, 401.397.5125 or complete online by clicking the Meal Benefits – Apply Online Now button

3.       SHOULD I FILL OUT AN APPLICATION IF I RECEIVED A LETTER THIS SCHOOL YEAR SAYING MY CHILDREN ARE ALREADY APPROVED FOR FREE MEALS?  No, but please read the letter you got carefully and follow the instructions. If any children in your household were missing from your eligibility notification, contact Eileen Dunford at Exeter-West Greenwich Regional School District ~ Administration Building 940 Nooseneck Hill Road, West Greenwich, RI 02817, 401.397.5125, Eileen_Dunford@ewg.k12.ri.us immediately.

4.       MY CHILD’S APPLICATION WAS APPROVED LAST YEAR.  DO I NEED TO FILL OUT A NEW ONE?  Yes.  Your child’s application is only good for that school year and for the first few days of this school year, through June 13, 2024.  You must send in a new application unless the school told you that your child is eligible for the new school year.  If you do not send in a new application that is approved by the school or you have not been notified that your child is eligible for free meals , your child will be charged the full price for meals.  

5.       I GET WIC.  CAN MY CHILDREN GET FREE MEALS?  Children in households participating in WIC may be eligible for free or reduced price meals.  Please send in an application.

6.       Will the information I give be checked? Yes. We may also ask you to send written proof of the household income you report.

7.              If I don’t qualify now, may I apply later? Yes, you may apply at any time during the school year.  For example, children with a parent or guardian who becomes unemployed may become eligible for free and reduced price meals if the household income drops below the income limit.

8.              What if I disagree with the school’s decision about my application? You should talk to school officials. You also may ask for a hearing by calling or writing to: James Erinakes at Exeter-West Greenwich Regional School District ~ Administration Building 940 Nooseneck Hill Road, West Greenwich, RI 02817, 401.397.5125, James_Erinakes @ewg.k12.ri.us

9.              May I apply if someone in my household is not a U.S. citizen? Yes. You, your children, or other household members do not have to be U.S. citizens to apply for free or reduced price meals. 

10.        What if my income is not always the same? List the amount that you normally receive. For example, if you normally make $1000 each month, but you missed some work last month and only made $900, put down that you made $1000 per month.  If you normally get overtime, include it, but do not include it if you only work overtime sometimes.  If you have lost a job or had your hours or wages reduced, use your current income.

11.        WHAT IF SOME HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS HAVE NO INCOME TO REPORT? Household members may not receive some types of income we ask you to report on the application, or may not receive income at all. Whenever this happens, please write a 0 in the field. However, if any income fields are left empty or blank, those will also be counted as zeroes. Please be careful when leaving income fields blank, as we will assume you meant to do so.

12.   We are in the military. do we REPORT OUR INCOME DIFFERENTLY? Your basic pay and cash bonuses must be reported as income. If you get any cash value allowances for off-base housing, food, or clothing, it must also be included as income. However, if your housing is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as income. Any additional combat pay resulting from deployment is also excluded from income.

13.   WHAT IF THERE ISN’T ENOUGH SPACE ON THE APPLICATION FOR MY FAMILY?  List any additional household members on a separate piece of paper, and attach it to your application. Contact Eileen Dunford at Exeter-West Greenwich Regional School District ~ Administration Building 940 Nooseneck Hill Road, West Greenwich, RI 02817, 401.397.5125, Eileen_Dunford@ewg.k12.ri.us to receive a second application.

14.   My family needs more help. Are there other programs we might apply for?  Your family may be eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or other programs. To find out if you qualify or to learn more, visit SNAP Outreach assistance at: https://dhs.ri.gov/programs-and-services/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/snap-outreach-toolkit. 

If you are concerned about a food allergy that your student has, please notify the cafeteria with this information. A warning will appear on the cashier’s screen for a quick review of the items on the student’s meal tray.

Students may pay for lunch with cash or by using their account. We use a computer-based lunch system that allows students to use their ID number to charge their lunch items to their account. When using their account it must be funded using a pre-payment method.

You will have the ability to monitor student transactions and deposit money electronically onto your child’s account by signing up at https://www.myschoolbucks.com.

You can send in prepayment at any time. Although students can add cash to their account by giving it to the cashier at checkout, we recommend that parents send in checks rather than cash. All monies should be submitted only to cafeteria personnel. Checks are to be made payable to EWG School Lunch Program. When sending a prepayment, please include the student’s ID number on the face of the check. If you send in cash please indicate the student's ID number on the face of the envelope.

If you prefer not to apply online, the paper application form is  available online or you can pick one from up from your local school office.

Who can get free or reduced-price meals?

• All children in households receiving benefits from SNAP, FDPIR or TANF are eligible for free meals.

• Foster children under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court are eligible for free meals.

• Children participating in their school's Head Start program are eligible for free meals.

• Schools are required to serve meals at no charge to children whose household income is at or below 130 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines.

• Children are entitled to pay a reduced price if their household income is above 130 percent but at or below 185 percent of these guidelines.

• The current income and family size criteria can be found under the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines.

Only one application is required per household no matter how many children are attending Exeter-West Greenwich schools. Completed applications can be turned in to any school's main office or mailed to Lineham School, 859 Nooseneck Hill Rd., West Greenwich, RI 02817.