August 23, 2023
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
The Ayer Shirley Regional School District’s Department of Food & Nutrition would like to update you with exciting news about universal free school meals. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has extended free school meals for all students! This means that every student is eligible to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each day.
Please note that even though every student may get one free breakfast and one free lunch per day, it is still very important for families to complete the household Application for Free and Reduced Price Meals for the 2023-2024 school year. You can view and complete the application on the district website. You do NOT need to complete an application if you have already received an email stating that your child was directly certified for free or reduced-price meals.
If you prefer to complete your application on paper, please contact jricci@asrsd.org, or, print, complete, and return the attached application to Ayer Shirley Regional School Nutrition 115 Washington Street, Ayer, MA 01432. Translated applications are available too! Contact jricci@asrsd.org for a translated application. We strongly encourage ALL families to complete a free and reduced-price meal application as it allows us to determine student eligibility for other programs as well. This includes reduced fees for full-day kindergarten, ASRSD athletics, and SATs, transportation, and more.
Please see the Eligibility Guidelines.
|
FEDERAL ELIGIBILITY INCOME CHART For School Year 2023-2024
|
| |
Maximum Household Income Eligible for Free Meals
|
Maximum Household Income Eligible for Reduced Price Meals
|
|
Household size
|
Yearly
|
Monthly
|
Weekly
|
Yearly
|
Monthly
|
Weekly
|
|
1
|
$18,954
|
$1,580
|
$365
|
$26,973
|
$2,248
|
$519
|
|
2
|
$25,636
|
$2,137
|
$493
|
$36,482
|
$3,041
|
$702
|
|
3
|
$32,318
|
$2,694
|
$622
|
$45,991
|
$3,833
|
$885
|
|
4
|
$39,000
|
$3,250
|
$750
|
$55,500
|
$4,625
|
$1,068
|
|
5
|
$45,682
|
$3,807
|
$879
|
$65,009
|
$5,418
|
$1,251
|
|
6
|
$52,364
|
$4,364
|
$1,007
|
$74,518
|
$6,210
|
$1,434
|
|
7
|
$59,046
|
$4,921
|
$1,136
|
$84,027
|
$7,003
|
$1,616
|
|
8
|
$65,728
|
$5,478
|
$1,264
|
$93,536
|
$7,795
|
$1,799
|
|
Each additional person:
|
+6,682
|
+557
|
+129
|
+9,509
|
+793
|
+183
|
If you are in need of food assistance at home, please consider applying for SNAP, the federal nutrition program that provides eligible residents with monthly financial assistance to purchase groceries. More SNAP information can be found at gettingsnap.org or by calling Project Bread’s Food Source Hotline at 1-800-645-8333.
Please note that anything above and beyond a student’s first breakfast or lunch will be charged to their account. This includes second meals, water, individual milk, snacks, and other a la carte items. If you would like to deposit money into your student’s account, you can do so via myschoolbucks.com, or by sending cash or a check to school with your child.
Ayer Shirley Regional School District’s Food & Nutrition Department thanks you for your patience in awaiting this news! As always, we are grateful for the opportunity to provide nourishing and healthy meals to all Ayer Shirley students, so please reach out to us with any questions or concerns.
Best,
Joe Ricci
Director of Food & Nutrition
jricci@asrsd.org
978-772-8600 x1167
