Gateway Food Services
FANTASTIC NEWS! The State of Massachusetts has extended Universal Free Meals through the 2022-2023 school year! One reimbursable breakfast & one reimbursable lunch per day, will be available to every student FREE OF CHARGE! Any extra servings or "milk only" are not reimbursable and will be charged to accounts. Also, be sure to send in a Free/Reduced Meal Application if you feel your family would qualify for P-EBT over the summer! Even though meals will be free for all, sending in meal applications may help you to qualify for other sources of financial help, such as SNAP, MassHealth, & P-EBT. It also helps our schools to qualify for other programs, as well. For further information see below, or contact Tasha Hartley @ 685-1005 or thartley@grsd.org.
How do I Enroll?
Go to www.myschoolbucks.com or download the mobile app and register for your free account.
Add your students using their school name and birth date.Make a payment to your students’ accounts with your credit/debit card or electronic check.
A program fee may apply. You will have the opportunity to review any fees and cancel if you choose, before you are charged.
If you have any questions, please visit www.myschoolbucks.com and click Help or call MySchoolBucks Customer Support at: 1-855-832-5226.
Charging Privileges.
Gateway’s school nutrition staff are passionate about ensuring students have access to healthy school meals to support academic achievement. “No one wants to see a child go hungry or feel any shame during mealtime-we dedicate our lives to providing access to healthy, balanced meals to all students. Cafeteria staff has no desire to deny any child the opportunity to eat a meal in the GRSD Cafeteria’s. WE DO NOT AND WILL NOT TAKE A MEAL AWAY FROM A STUDENT. As participants in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, we work diligently to enroll all eligible students in the free or reduced price meal program. Federal funds cover the costs of enrolled students, but we need to charge non-enrolled students to help cover food and labor costs. Parents and school administrators must work together to strike a balance and develop meal charging procedures that respect students, while preventing escalating unpaid meal debts.
The following privileges/procedures will take effect SY18.
High School: All students are presumed to be responsible enough to bring money with them daily or pre-pay their meals.
Middle School: Middle School Students are also presumed to be responsible enough to bring money with them daily. However we recognized that they may forget on occasion. Students will be allowed to charge 1 meal to be paid the next day
The student will take the responsibility to check his/her meal account and will not take a meal and try to charge if there is a negative balance.
Chester and Littleville Elementary: The computerized point of sale tracks those accounts that have a negative balance. Notices will be sent home on Fridays. If your child owes money to the cafeteria we would appreciate your prompt response. If after ten days of charging and no payment has been made, the parent is responsible for sending their child with a meal from home.
If families need to work out a payment plan, call the Food Service Director. You also may at any time request a free and reduced meal application if your income has changed. GRSD offers an online payment service.
The Gateway Regional Food and Nutrition Dept. is self-supporting, all monies needed to operate come from daily revenues and state and federal subsidies. Therefore charging is discouraged.
Gateway Has an Approved Wellness Policy.