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Food Service » Free Meals for All PTS Students

Free Meals for All PTS Students

All Portage Township Schools students will be eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch during the 2024-2025 school year.
 
PTS will be implementing the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for meals served on the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program for the 2024-2025 school year.
 

"We are proud to be able to once again provide meals to all students free of charge for the upcoming school year," PTS superintendent Amanda Alaniz said. "We saw an impressive increase in the number of students who enjoyed breakfast and lunch last year because it was easily accessible. I am looking forward to another year with students who can learn at their best because they have had nutritious meals at school.”

 

The PTS food service staff served nearly 200,000 more meals last year under the Free Meals for All program in comparison to the previous school year.

 
All students enrolled at PTS are eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at school at no charge each day of the 2023-2024 school year. No further action is required of families. All children will be able to participate in these meal programs without having to pay a fee or submit an application.
 
Questions may be directed to the PTS Food Service Department at (219)763-8008.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! All students enrolled in a PTS school are eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch every school day during the 2024-2025 year.
No, there is no application needed in order for your children to receive free meals this school year. 
No. All meals are completely free of charge for the 2024-2025 school year.
 
All children will receive free breakfast and lunch, regardless of their Free/Reduced Meal status. We are waiting on guidance from the USDA on applications families will need to submit to receive the Free/Reduced associated benefits to include Summer EBT cards, 21st Century Scholars, college application fee assistance, and more. 
Meals will continue to meet the standards and nutritional guidelines set by the USDA. Students are welcome to purchase additional food or a la carte items.
Students can make additional or a la carte purchases with a My School Bucks account. Visit www.myschoolbucks.com or download the My School Bucks app to create an account and add your children. You can then add money with a debit or credit card.
Each PTS student may receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day. A la carte and additional food items are available for purchase.
PTS is now eligible for the USDA's Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). This nationwide program serves school districts who meet certain demographic eligibility criteria. The USDA will be providing the funding to support our enrollment in this program.
The CEP enrollment is a period of 4 school years, and we are entering year 2 of this program. Once we reach the end of those 4 years, we will apply for the program again.
Yes. There are a number of school districts, including some in our area, who are eligible and receive free meals for their students through CEP. Not all school districts may qualify.
PTS families will not be charged for course fees for the upcoming 2024-2025 per the State of Indiana. We will be sharing more information on this soon. 
Yes. PTS joined the CEP program during the 2023-2024 school year and offered free meals to all enrolled students. This is the second year that meals are free for all PTS students.