1005 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
Tel: 510.644.6200 | Fax: 510.644.8784
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
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Bonnie Christensen, Director of Nutrition Services
Rich Hannan, Executive Chef
Food Access Resources
- Berkeley Food Network’s Food Access Resource List (PDF)
- CA Food Banks Resource Page
- CalFresh/SNAP Information
- Apply for CalFresh
- The Women, Infant & Children Program
- List of Resources from Senator Skinner
- Additional Resources during COVID-19
P-EBT Cards Information
This message provides school food authorities (SFA) information and resources about the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) Program for School Year (SY) 2021–22 and Summer 2022. P-EBT is a federal program that gives eligible households food benefits to replace in-person school meals that children missed due to the pandemic.
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) will begin mailing SY 2021–22 P-EBT cards in November through December 2022. These cards will have benefits for the months of August 2021 through December 2021. P-EBT cards will be reloaded with a second issuance of benefits in December reflecting the P-EBT benefits for the months of January 2022 through May 2022. Summer 2022 P-EBT benefits will also be loaded on to existing cards in December. Newly eligible students will be mailed a card containing Summer 2022 benefits if they did not qualify for SY 2021–22 P-EBT.
Please note that P-EBT benefits are based on the amount of time a student missed school meals because they attended school through independent study or attended school in-person but had excused absences of at least 5 days or more during a month presumed due to COVID-19. Therefore, the number of students that qualify for P-EBT in SY 2021–22 and corresponding benefit levels may be significantly lower than in prior P-EBT issuances. P-EBT cards will be issued to each eligible student in a household. For example, a family with three eligible children would receive three P-EBT cards, one assigned to each eligible child.
Resources for SFAs and Households
The CDSS has resources available in multiple languages on a new P-EBT web page at https://capandemic-ebt.org/partner. SFAs can use these resources to communicate with households about P-EBT.
In addition, the CDSS has also made improvements to the P-EBT Helpline to assist eligible households with issues related to P-EBT, such as setting up a PIN, changing addresses, requesting replacement cards, or general questions about eligibility and benefits. Also, a new live chat feature is now available on the P-EBT website to provide general support. The contact information for the P-EBT Helpline is below.
Contact Information
Households that require assistance with P-EBT cards can call the P-EBT Helpline at 877-328-9677 (Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.) or use the new chat function on the CDSS P-EBT web page at https://capandemic-ebt.org/.
For LEAs with questions about P-EBT, please email the CDE at PEBT@cde.ca.gov.
Free & Reduced Lunch Information
For the 2022-23 school year, all students K-12 are automatically eligible for free breakfast and free lunch every day they are in school, however, it is very important to fill out the free/reduced price school meal application form at ezmealapp.com as soon as possible. (Online applications are processed in 3-5 days, while paper applications may take up to 10 days). These meal applications help determine the school district’s LCAP funding bringing much needed funding to the schools. Additionally, if your child qualifies as “free” or “reduced”, you can use the Eligibility Letter we provide to show eligibility when applying for other benefits.
Lunch Menus
Allergen Information
Allergen Information for School Breakfasts
Useful Information
- Gardening and Cooking Program
- 2011 SIO BreakfastFirst
- School Lunch Information
- Meal Guideline Toolkits for Parents
- Medi-Cal & Single State Application for HealthCare
- Request Form for Field Trip Lunches
- Medical Statement to Request Special Meals and/or Accommodations
- Wellness Committee
- Civil Rights Complaint Procedure for BUSD Nutrition Services Department: English | Español
- Affordable Connectivity Program: English | Español
Message to Families
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Welcome back to another school year. We have continued to make positive changes to the school meals and want to encourage you and your children to participate in the school breakfast and lunch programs this year.
Since 2007, all of our schools serve Universal Breakfast and have a Fresh Buffet Style Service approach to lunch. Universal Breakfast means all of our schools are serving free breakfast for all students.
A year-long calendar has been posted to our website so you know what we are serving every day. The calendar lists the elementary and middle and high school’s breakfast and lunch menus for the entire year. Additionally, each month of the calendar includes recipes that are being taught in the cooking classes and served in the cafeterias as well. We hope you will try cooking these at home with your family. The links above link to the calendars.
The changes we are making are part of a district-wide effort called the School Lunch Initiative (SLI). SLI has two primary goals: to serve more nutritious and delicious, freshly-prepared meals using locally-grown food to all of our students and to educate children in kitchen, garden and academic classrooms about their food choices and the impact those choices have on their health, the community and the environment.
We are extremely proud of the accomplishments we are making, including the following:
- Salad bars in all of our schools
- Hormone and antibiotic-free milk
- Fresh fruit and vegetables served daily
- Almost all of our food made from scratch
- All bread and dinner rolls are organic
- All other rolls are whole-grain
- Swipe card systems in almost all of our schools
- Vegetarian options daily
- One day per week district-wide vegetarian lunch
A majority of our food is now purchased locally:
- Breakfast muffins
- Whole-grain pizza crust
- Sliced bread and dinner rolls
- Salad dressings
- 25% of our produce
- Organic salad bars at Berkeley High School, middle and elementary schools
- All hamburgers and hot dogs are natural and grass-fed
We hope you will join us in helping your children make healthy food choices in school and at home. Together we can help raise a new generation of healthier and better educated young people. Thank you for your continued support and please don’t hesitate to call or email if there’s anything I can do to help.
Board Principles
The Board of Education recognizes the important connection between a healthy diet and a student’s ability to learn effectively and achieve high standards in school. The Board also recognizes the school’s role, as part of the larger community, to promote family health, sustainable agriculture and environmental restoration. The Board of Education recognizes that the sharing of food is a fundamental experience for all peoples; a primary way to nurture and celebrate our cultural diversity; and an excellent bridge for building friendships and intergenerational bonds.
Mission
Part of the educational mission of BUSD is to improve the health of the entire community by teaching students to establish and maintain life long healthy eating and physical activity habits. The mission shall be accomplished through nutrition education, physical education, garden experiences, the food served in schools, environmental restoration and core academic content in the curriculum.
- Elimination of Reduced-Price-Lunch Fee
- BUSD Food Policy
- Food Allergy Board Policy
- A Guide to Smart Snacks in School
Statement of Non-Discrimination
SNAP and FDPIR State or local agencies, and their subrecipients, must post the following 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:
- mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or - fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
- email: program.intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Declaración de No-Discriminación
Las agencias estatales o locales de SNAP y FDPIR, y sus beneficiarios secundarios, deben publicar el siguiente Aviso de No Discriminación:
De acuerdo con la ley federal de derechos civiles y las normas y políticas de derechos civiles del Departamento de Agricultura de EE. UU. (USDA), esta institución tiene prohibido discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo (incluida la identidad de género y la orientación sexual), discapacidad, edad, o represalia o represalia por actividad anterior de derechos civiles.
La información del programa puede estar disponible en otros idiomas además del inglés. Las personas con discapacidades que requieran medios alternativos de comunicación para obtener información del programa (p. ej., Braille, letra grande, cinta de audio, lenguaje de señas estadounidense), deben comunicarse con la agencia estatal o local responsable que administra el programa o el Centro TARGET del USDA al (202) 720- 2600 (voz y TTY) o comuníquese con USDA a través del Servicio Federal de Retransmisión al (800) 877-8339.
Para presentar una queja por discriminación en el programa, el Demandante debe completar un Formulario AD-3027, Formulario de queja por discriminación en el programa del USDA, que se puede obtener en línea en: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf desde cualquier oficina del USDA, llamando al (866) 632-9992, o escribiendo una carta dirigida al USDA. La carta debe contener el nombre, la dirección, el número de teléfono y una descripción escrita de la supuesta acción discriminatoria del denunciante con suficiente detalle para informar al Subsecretario de Derechos Civiles (ASCR) sobre la naturaleza y la fecha de la supuesta violación de los derechos civiles. El formulario o carta AD-3027 completo debe enviarse al USDA antes de:
La carta debe contener el nombre, la dirección, el número de teléfono y una descripción escrita de la supuesta acción discriminatoria del denunciante con suficiente detalle para informar al Subsecretario de Derechos Civiles (ASCR) sobre la naturaleza y la fecha de la supuesta violación de los derechos civiles. El formulario o carta AD-3027 completo debe enviarse al USDA antes de:
- Correo: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; o - Fax: (833) 256-1665 o (202) 690-7442; o
- Correo electrónico: program.intake@usda.gov
Esta institución es un proveedor que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.