Free and Reduced Meal Information
Our school offers healthy meals each day. All students can get one breakfast and one lunch free of charge each day at school. Although no application is required to receive this free meal benefit, filling out the Application for Educational Benefits is still important! Your child(ren) may qualify for other benefits like reduced fees at school. Your application may also help the school qualify for education funds, discounts, and other meal programs.
To apply, complete the Application for Educational Benefits and return it to:
Holdingford Nutrition Services; Box 250; Holdingford, MN 56340
Who should complete this application? Children in households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), and foster, homeless, migrant and runaway children qualify without reporting household income. Alternatively, children can qualify if their household income is within the maximum income shown for their household size on the instructions.
COMMON QUESTIONS:
I get WIC or Medical Assistance. Can my children qualify? Children in households participating in WIC or Medical Assistance do not automatically qualify. Children may be eligible depending on other household financial information. Please fill out an application.
Who should I include as household members? Include yourself and all other people living in the household, related or not (such as grandparents, other relatives, or friends).
May I apply if someone in my household is not a U.S. citizen? Yes. You or your children do not have to be U.S. citizens for you to complete an application.
What if my income is not always the same? List the amount that you normally get. If you normally get overtime, include it, but not if you get overtime only sometimes. For seasonal work, write in the total annual income.
Will the income information or case number I give be checked? It may be. We may also ask you to send written proof.
How will the information be kept? Information you provide on the form, and your child’s approval, will be protected as private
data. For more information, see the back page of the Application for Educational Benefits.
If I don’t qualify now, may I apply later? Yes. Please complete an application at any time if your income goes down, your household size goes up, or you start getting SNAP, MFIP or FDPIR benefits.
Free Reduced Meals Application 2025-26
-How to complete the application
-Sharing of Benefits Information
-How to complete the application
-Sharing of Benefits Information
The National School Lunch Program (NLSP) provides per meal cash reimbursements to schools as an entitlement to provide nutritious meals to children. This means that all eligible schools may participate and all children attending those schools may participate. The NLSP provides school children with one-third or more of their Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for key nutrients. These lunches are required to provide no more than 30 percent of calories from fat and less than 10 percent from saturated fat. USDA research indicates that children who participate in School Lunch have superior nutritional intakes compared to those who do not participate.
All public and non-profit private schools (regardless of tuition) and all Residential Child Care Institutions (RCCIs) can participate in the National School Lunch Program. School boards must apply to their state education agency in order to institute a program. All students in these schools may participate in the lunch program. However, household income determines whether they receive free meals, reduced price meals (the maximum price to the student’s family is 40 cents), or “paid” meals, for which students pay most of the cost (the federal government pays a modest amount for administrative costs).
For children at participating schools there are two ways to qualify for free or reduced price meals in the NSLP. Both generally require the household to fill out a school meals application and return it to the child’s school.
If a household currently receives Food Stamps, TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), or participates in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) the children in that household are eligible for free school meals for as long as the family receives these other benefits. This is called categorical eligibility. Homeless, runaway and migrant children are also automatically eligible for free school meals.
If a household’s total income is below a certain amount, the children in that household can eat free meals price. To receive free meals, household income must fall below 185 percent of poverty. This is called income-based eligibility. Please fill out the application for meal benefits as soon as possible.
Some school districts use “direct certification” to qualify children for free meals without requiring the family to submit an application. In these districts, the school works with the State or local Food Stamp, TANF, and FDPIR agencies to identify and certify for school meals (without additional applications) those children in households currently receiving these benefits.
Traditional application forms can be obtained from any school cafeteria manager, school main office, or by contacting:
Jan Notch at 320-746-4328 or [email protected]
All public and non-profit private schools (regardless of tuition) and all Residential Child Care Institutions (RCCIs) can participate in the National School Lunch Program. School boards must apply to their state education agency in order to institute a program. All students in these schools may participate in the lunch program. However, household income determines whether they receive free meals, reduced price meals (the maximum price to the student’s family is 40 cents), or “paid” meals, for which students pay most of the cost (the federal government pays a modest amount for administrative costs).
For children at participating schools there are two ways to qualify for free or reduced price meals in the NSLP. Both generally require the household to fill out a school meals application and return it to the child’s school.
If a household currently receives Food Stamps, TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), or participates in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) the children in that household are eligible for free school meals for as long as the family receives these other benefits. This is called categorical eligibility. Homeless, runaway and migrant children are also automatically eligible for free school meals.
If a household’s total income is below a certain amount, the children in that household can eat free meals price. To receive free meals, household income must fall below 185 percent of poverty. This is called income-based eligibility. Please fill out the application for meal benefits as soon as possible.
Some school districts use “direct certification” to qualify children for free meals without requiring the family to submit an application. In these districts, the school works with the State or local Food Stamp, TANF, and FDPIR agencies to identify and certify for school meals (without additional applications) those children in households currently receiving these benefits.
Traditional application forms can be obtained from any school cafeteria manager, school main office, or by contacting:
Jan Notch at 320-746-4328 or [email protected]