Food Services
Food Service Director
Ricky Welling
Richard.Welling@neric.org
Phone: (518) 674-7004
View School Menus Here: https://linqconnect.com/public/menu/TZAPCP
Smartsnack Beverage Guidelines
December 2023 Menus
November 2023 Menus
SUMMER MEALS: Any student who is in need of a meal during the summer time should visit this page.
Free Breakfast / Lunch For All Students
Beginning on November 1, 2023, all students in the Averill Park Central School District will be able to receive 1 free breakfast and 1 free lunch every school day, for the remainder of the school year.
This implementation is a result of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) expanding access to the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). CEP allows eligible schools participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs to offer school meals at no charge to all students.
No application is required for students to receive free meals. Additional meals, snacks and a la carte items will still need to be paid for. Students will be able to purchase those items with cash or funds available on their accounts.
Do I still need to complete a Household Income Eligibility Form?
Yes, you still need to complete a form. Our district is eligible to receive additional state and federal funds based on the number and/or percentage of students enrolled who reside in households that meet established federal income guidelines. We use the Household Income Eligibility Form to collect household information. The form also helps our school district qualify for education funds and discounts. Complete a Household Income Eligibility Form online
Please call Jennifer Radigan, Shared Food Service Program Specialist at 518-464-5106 or email jennifer.radigan@neric.org, if you have any questions.
Meal Payment Information
Averill Park Central School District’s Food Service Department is excited to provide parents a convenient, easy and secure online pre-payment service to deposit money into your child’s school meal account.
The District now uses LINQ Connect for school meals. There are three easy steps to starting your free family LINQ account.
Go to the following website: https://linqconnect.com/
Create a free account using your email address and create a password.
Search District: Averill Park Central School District
Once you create your account you can deposit money securely to student accounts.
Meal Charge Policy & Prohibition Against Meal Shaming Policy
The goal of the Averill Park Central School District is to provide student access to nutritious nocost or low-cost meals each school day. However, unpaid charges place a large financial burden on our District. The purpose of this policy is to insure compliance with federal requirements for the USDA Child Nutrition Program, and to provide oversight and accountability for the collection of outstanding student meal balances. The intent of this policy is to establish procedures to address unpaid meal charges throughout the District. The provisions of this policy pertain to regular priced school breakfast, lunch and meals only. Charging of items outside of the reimbursable meals (a la carte items, snacks, adult meals, etc.) is expressly prohibited.
In the event that a student does not have money to purchase lunch, we have developed a meal charge policy. The District also developed a Wellness Policy.
Children Can Eat Free During the Summer!
Call, text or go online for participating sites in our area.
Growing Up Healthy Hotline: Call 2-1-1 or 1-866-3-HUNGRY
No Kid Hungry Text Line: Text ‘Food’ to 877-877
Summer Food Mapper- http://www.fns.usda.gov/summerfoodrocks
Cafeteria News: Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
Your child has likely noticed a difference in school lunch this year as schools across the country are being challenged to meet new dietary standards enforced by the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA). Click here for more.
Breakfast
Breakfast is available to all students in every building.
In order to meet USDA requirements, school breakfasts must contain no more than 30% of calories from fat, and less then 10% from saturated fat. In addition, breakfast must provide one fourth of the Recommended Dietary Allowances for protein, calcium, iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and calories.
Research shows that children who eat breakfast:
- are less likely to be overweight
- show improvement on math, reading and standardized test scores
- establish healthier habits for later in life
- have fewer absences and incidences of tardiness
- are more likely to behave better in school
- consume more calcium, fiber, foliate and protein
Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)
As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the President and Congress created the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides eligible households up to $30/month (or $75/month for households living on Tribal lands) toward their internet bills, as well as a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet.
All households with a child who was approved to receive free or reduced price school meals under the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program, within the last 12 months, including children who attend schools participating in the Community Eligibility Provision, are eligible for ACP benefits.
Households are also independently eligible if:
(1) their income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level ($55,500 for a family of four); or
(2) a member of the household participates in certain other Federal benefit programs—including, among others, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Medicaid, and Federal Public Housing Assistance.
To further lower costs, the Biden-Harris Administration secured commitments from internet service providers across the country to offer high-speed plans that are fully covered by the ACP. As a result, millions of working families can now get high-speed internet without paying a dime.
Families can check their eligibility, sign up, and find fully covered plans at GetInternet.gov(link is external)(link is external) (mobile-accessible and available in Spanish) or by calling 877-384-2575.
NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf(link is external), from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted 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
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442
3. EMAIL
program.intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.