Free and Reduced Meals

If you qualify for Free and Reduced Meals, we encourage you to apply now. Please see the information below for more details.

Who can get free meals?
All children in households receiving benefits from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) are eligible for free meals regardless of your income. This includes children living in the household who do not receive SNAP or TANF. Also, your children can get free meals if your household’s gross income is within the free limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines.
 

If you feel you qualify for free and reduced meals please apply by clicking the icon below. Once approved you will receive additional benefits.

Additional benefits for applying...

There are other benefits to being officially approved for free and reduced meals.  These include fee waivers for SATs, AP exams, Technology fees, etc.  Completing the Free and Reduced Application through School Cafe could be very beneficial for you.  The income information is confidential. 

If you do not have access to a computer, we have computers in the Administration Building Lobby for your use. If you require a paper application, please contact your child’s school or the contact person listed below.  Please return the completed application to the Administration Building:
Phoenixville Area School District
Mrs. Stephanie Nattle
386 City Line Avenue
Phoenixville, PA 19460

For questions regarding the Free and Reduced Meals Program please contact Mrs. Stephanie Nattle or 484-927-5031

Summer Food Information

Pushed Pin.png Locate Sites Serving Free Meals

*Schools or families may use any of the following methods to locate sites that serve free meals to children during the summer:
•Call 211
•Call 1.866.3Hungry or 1.877.8Hambre
•Text “FOOD” or “COMIDA” to 877877 during the summer months
•Text “SUMMER MEALS” or “VERANO” to 97779.
Find Meals for Kids When Schools are Closed | Food and Nutrition Service (usda.gov)
•Use the site locator for smartphones - Rangeapp.org

Pushed Pin.pngSummer SUN Bucks
For Free and Reduced Meal Families

What is Summer EBT/SUN Bucks:
A new program called Summer EBT, or “SUN Bucks,” has been authorized by a bipartisan U.S. Congress to provide food dollars over the summer months to low-income families with school-aged children. The program is proven to reduce food insecurity and improve children's nutrition during summer break. Governor Shapiro’s administration announced that the Commonwealth would participate in this program beginning in the summer of 2024. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversees the program, and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) coordinates the benefit issuance in Pennsylvania.

Since your child is eligible for National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP) free or reduced meals in the 2023-2024 school year, they are automatically eligible for the 2024 Summer EBT/SUN Bucks benefit. There is nothing more you need to do to receive the benefit.

Eligibility Details:
A student is automatically eligible for 2024 Summer EBT/SUN Bucks if they are enrolled at a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP), AND they qualify for free or reduced-price school meals for any of these reasons:

1. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or
2. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or
3. Medical Assistance with income that qualifies them for the NSLP/SBP, or
4. Household meal application with income that qualifies, or
5. Are homeless, runaway, migrant, foster, or in Head Start

Students who are homeschooled or are taught virtually for 100% of the school year are ineligible for Summer EBT/SUN Bucks. The only exception is if the child also attends a school building regularly that offers them NSLP/SBP school meals.

Benefit Issuance:
For the summer of 2024, a household will receive $120 Summer EBT/SUN Bucks benefit (which equals $40 for each summer month) for every eligible child in the household.

The benefit will be issued at the household level, meaning if multiple eligible students are in a household, the benefit will be combined into one issuance amount. The benefit will be issued to the family’s existing state EBT card (for SNAP or TANF) or on a new SUN Bucks card that is mailed, in most cases, to the household contact and address DHS has on file for that household. Schools are not able to change this information. If your SNAP, TANF, or Medical Assistance information needs to be updated, contact your County Assistance Office. If the household does not have a SNAP, TANF, or Medical Assistance case with DHS, the address that the school has on file will be used.

DHS will issue the 2024 Summer EBT/SUN Bucks benefits from late August to September 2024. All benefits should be issued by the end of October 2024. This may seem late for a benefit intended to assist eligible children and families over the summer months. DHS is building new processes and systems to meet USDA guidelines for this new program. Families are asked to be patient and understanding during this implementation year. The intent is for the benefit to be issued earlier in the summer break in future years.

Schools cannot assist families with Summer EBT/SUN Bucks benefit questions. Schools cannot access the state’s Summer EBT/SUN Bucks system or records. 

Summer EBT/SUN Bucks Resources for Families:
DHS and their County Assistance Offices offer family support for Summer EBT/SUN Bucks. 

For more information, please visit the DHS Summer EBT/SUN Bucks webpage. This webpage provides information about the benefit, Frequently Asked Questions, and an eligibility navigator tool to help families determine if they need to apply for the benefit.

County Assistance Offices can provide family support for all Summer EBT/SUN Bucks questions. A CAO locator tool is found here.

The Statewide Customer Service Center can be reached by phone at 1-877-395-8930, or 1-215-560-7226 in Philadelphia.

Note: DHS asks families not to call the County Assistance Offices or Statewide Customer Service lines regarding not receiving Summer EBT/SUN Bucks before the end of August 2024, when almost all Summer EBT/SUN Bucks benefits for automatically eligible children have been issued

SNAP, TANF, and Medical Assistance households that need to update their address with DHS should do so as soon as possible. 

Pushed Pin.pngSummer SUN Bucks
For Families Who Qualify Due to Income

What is Summer EBT/SUN Bucks:
A new program called Summer EBT, or “SUN Bucks,” has been authorized by a bipartisan U.S. Congress to provide food dollars to low-income families with school-aged children over the summer months. The program is proven to reduce food insecurity and improve children's nutrition during summer break. Governor Shapiro’s administration announced that the Commonwealth would participate in this program beginning in the summer of 2024. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversees the program, and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) coordinates the benefit issuance in Pennsylvania.

Since your child is NOT eligible for National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP) free or reduced meals in the 2023-2024 school year, they are not automatically eligible for the 2024 Summer EBT/SUN Bucks benefit.

If you believe your income qualifies (185% or less of the federal poverty level), you can still apply for free or reduced meals through the school (unless your child attends a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)* school) or apply for the Summer EBT/SUN Bucks through DHS. See “Summer EBT/SUN Bucks Application” below for details.

Who is Eligible:
A student is automatically eligible for 2024 Summer EBT/SUN Bucks if they are enrolled at a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP), AND they qualify for free or reduced-price school meals for any of these reasons:
1. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or
2. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or
3. Medical Assistance with income that qualifies them for the NSLP/SBP, or
4. Household meal application with income that qualifies, or
5. Are homeless, runaway, migrant, foster, or in Head Start

Students who are homeschooled or are taught virtually for 100% of the school year are ineligible for Summer EBT/SUN Bucks. The only exception is if the child also attends a school building regularly that offers them NSLP/SBP school meals.

Summer EBT/SUN Bucks Application: 
Families should only submit a Summer EBT/SUN Bucks application if their child attended an NSLP/SBP-participating school in the 2023-2024 school year and was not found automatically eligible for Summer EBT/SUN Bucks.

Summer EBT/SUN Bucks applications will be available on July 1, 2024, on the DHS SUN Bucks webpage as a fillable PDF form in English and Spanish. DHS will review the family’s application to confirm that the child attended an NSLP/SBP school, and that the family income qualifies for the benefit (185% or less of the federal poverty level). To qualify for SUN Bucks for 2024, an application must be submitted by August 31, 2024. Any applications submitted on or after September 1, 2024, will be held and considered only for SUN Bucks for the summer of 2025. 

Benefit Issuance:
For the summer of 2024, a household will receive $120 Summer EBT/SUN Bucks benefit (which equals $40 for each summer month) for every eligible child in the household.

The benefit will be issued at the household level, meaning if multiple eligible students are in a household, the benefit will be combined into one issuance amount. The benefit will be issued to the family’s existing state EBT card (for SNAP or TANF) or on a new SUN Bucks card that is mailed, in most cases, to the household contact and address DHS has on file for that household. Schools are not able to change this information. If your SNAP, TANF, or Medical Assistance information needs to be updated, contact your County Assistance Office. If the household does not have a SNAP, TANF, or Medical Assistance case with DHS, the address that the school has on file will be used.

DHS will issue the 2024 Summer EBT/SUN Bucks benefits from late August to September 2024. All benefits should be issued by the end of October 2024. This may seem late for a benefit intended to assist eligible children and families over the summer months. DHS is building new processes and systems to meet USDA guidelines for this new program. Families are asked to be patient and understanding during this implementation year. The intent is for the benefit to be issued earlier in the summer break in future years.

Schools cannot assist families with Summer EBT/SUN Bucks benefit questions. Schools cannot access the state’s Summer EBT/SUN Bucks system or records. 

Summer EBT/SUN Bucks Resources for Families:
DHS and their County Assistance Offices offer family support for Summer EBT/SUN Bucks. 

The DHS Summer EBT/SUN Bucks webpage for families can be found here:. This webpage provides information about the benefit, Frequently Asked Questions, the SUN Bucks family application, and an eligibility navigator tool to help families determine if they need to apply.

County Assistance Offices can provide family support for all Summer EBT/SUN Bucks questions. A CAO locator tool is found here.

The Statewide Customer Service Center can be reached by phone at 1-877-395-8930, or 1-215-560-7226 in Philadelphia.

Note: DHS asks families to refrain from calling the County Assistance Offices or Statewide Customer Service lines regarding not receiving Summer EBT/SUN Bucks before the end of August 2024, when almost all Summer EBT/SUN Bucks benefits for automatically eligible children have been issued.

SNAP, TANF, and Medical Assistance households that need to update their address with DHS should do so as soon as possible. 
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