Massachusetts Household Application for Free and Reduced Price School Meals

Children need healthy meals to learn. The Harvard Public Schools offer healthy meals every school day. In School Year 2025-2026, all students will receive one free breakfast and one free lunch at school each day. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has provided money to do this for another year through the State budget. We need your help to keep providing free meals to all students in future years. Please fill out this application for free and reduced price school meals if your family is eligible. If many eligible families fill out and return this form, we will receive more money from the federal government for free school meals now and in the future. We will also get more money for other school programs. The information you provide is confidential. We follow strict federal rules to keep your information private.

If applicable, please download and complete the FY25 Meals Benefit Application. Once completed, please mail to: Harvard Public Schools, Attn: Mandy Ostaszewski, 27A Massachusetts Avenue Harvard, MA 01451.

 Application for FY26 Meal Benefit(pdf) 
Meal Benefit Application Instructions

Household Nofication Letter

Menus

Harvard Public Schools is pleased to partner with Whitsons Culinary Group to provide healthy meals each day.  To view the 2025-2026 Menus for TBS and HES, please click on the following link and type ‘Harvard’ into the search box.

Cafeteria Menus

How does the Free Lunch Program Work?

How does our school get reimbursed for the meals that they provide?  Meals are considered “reimbursable” by the government if they contain all of the components of a healthy meal.  All students receive one breakfast and one lunch at no cost to them.  The school receives a reimbursement monthly based on how many meals are served.  Meals served to students who are designated free or reduced through a meal benefit application or direct certification are reimbursed at a higher rate. Second meals or a la cart items (chips, drinks, etc.) are charged for as the school does not receive reimbursement for these items.  This is true for all students regardless of free/reduced lunch designation.  We urge families to use myschoolbucks to add funds to their student’s account if their student plans on purchasing extra meals or snacks.  Funds can also be deposited by the students at the lunch line register. 

Curious about what that looks like in the lunch line? Please watch this video about Bromfield Lunch Program

Harvard Public Schools is proud to partner with local farms to source produce for our School Lunch Program!

Carleson Orchards- Harvard, MA

Joe Czajkowski Farm- Hadley, MA

Wellspring Harvest- Springfield, MA

Cap Abilities Farm- Dennis, MA

At Harvard public schools our foods and beverages meet all federal and state requirements based on the USDA Dietary Guidelines and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Our foods and beverages are:

• 100% Whole grain rich
• Less than 30% fat
• Less than 10% saturated fat
• 0 grams of trans fat
• Meet 1/3 of the recommended daily allowances (RDA) for vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, protein, and calories

We offer a variety of daily offerings:

• Fresh fruits & vegetables
• Non-fat chocolate milk or 1% milk or Soy milk
• Lower sodium food items

We attempt to minimize waste by implementing "offer vs. serve", allowing the student to choose their meals. We provide students with access to a variety of appealing foods that meet the nutritional needs of students.

Good nutrition and learning go hand in hand. We support learning by promoting healthy habits for lifelong nutrition and fitness practices. We provide students with access to a variety of affordable and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students.

Please contact our Food Service Director, Mark Valentine  mvalentine@psharvard.org with any questions.

• National School Lunch Fact Sheet
• SNAP Outreach Flyer
• P-EBT Food Funds

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%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, 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; or
2. fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email:
program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.