School Meals During Closure

How do I order meals for my child?

Any ICSD family can arrange for daily meal delivery by completing our online delivery request form (below). Families should complete one form per week for all children in the household. We change the menu weekly and need to be sure we know folks’ allergies and preferences. (Menus can be found on the ICSD Child Nutrition webpage or the Ithaca School Food Facebook page.)

Please submit the delivery request form at least 24 hours in advance. We are able to accommodate all orders and just have a one-day lag time. In order to receive deliveries for the entire following week, orders must be placed between 7:00 a.m. Friday and 12:00 p.m. Sunday. 

Note: if you're using a mobile device to complete the delivery request form, you will have to scroll to the number of each meal that you want to order. 

If you do not have access to the internet, or otherwise need assistance completing the meal delivery request form, please call 2-1-1. The call center is available 24/7 and is also locally staffed Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

What supports are available for families who need help with baby supplies?

The ICSD is helping the Child Development Council deliver baby supplies to families in need. If your family has experienced a loss of income or resources and needs help with baby supplies, please complete this online form to sign up for support.

To learn more about the Child Development Council, visit childdevelopmentcouncil.org.

What if seniors have a balance or owe money on their lunch accounts?

REFUNDS: Refunds for seniors who have a balance in their lunch accounts are processed by June 30. Typically, families have three options to choose from:

• Have the refund mailed to them (this will take approximately 3-4 weeks from request to be processed)
• Have the remaining funds transferred to a sibling’s account
• Donate the remaining funds to the needy student balance

Please let Michelle Yaple (myaple@icsd.k12.ny.us) know which option you choose and she will process your refund as requested. If no request is made, Michelle will automatically transfer your child’s balance to a sibling’s account or the needy student balance. 

PAYMENTS: Seniors who owe money on their accounts can still make payments online or by mail:

(Please note that any balance owed is for purchases made before the extended school closure.)

Are there additional resources for families that qualify for free or reduced-price school meals? 

On May 6, the USDA announced that New York State has been approved for Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), which provides nutritional resources to families who have lost access to free or reduced-price school meals due to school closures. 

The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and the New York State Education Department will issue P-EBT benefits to current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households and non-SNAP households, which include children eligible for free and reduced-price school meals, through the State’s SNAP EBT card system.

Families will receive money on a new or existing EBT card to help fill the school meals gap. The average benefit will be $5.70 per day, per student, retroactive to when school initially closed (March 16, 2020 through June 25, 2020). Visit otda.ny.gov/programs/snap to learn more about SNAP.

Is the Food Banks’ BackPack Program still operational? 

Yes. Backpacks are sent out on Fridays to all sites and on the deliveries to homes. Backpacks normally contain a shelf-stable protein, grains, and canned fruits or vegetables.