Mark Hicks, Director of Food Service.
Phone: (845)-486-4491

Here at the Arlington Food Service Department, we are guided in our mission to exceed our customers' expectations by utilizing a process of continuous improvement. We are dedicated to providing the best available nutritional components and incorporating them into a wide variety of menu choices that offer great value to our students and staff. Our team is committed to preparing healthy yet interesting meals that surpass the dietary guidelines as defined by the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act, administered by the USDA.

If your student receives Free and Reduced Lunch already you still must fill out an application each school year to renew their participation in that program.

 Click Here for applications for Free and Reduced Meals for the 2022-2023 school year. Paper copies are available at each school.

Universal Free Lunch and Breakfast To End as of June 30th 2022

We have been informed by the New York State Education Office of Child Nutrition and The USDA that the waivers that allow us to offer Free Lunch and Breakfast to all Arlington students will end on June 30, 2022. This means that we will be reverting to the pre-pandemic program known as the National School Lunch Program. The state refers to this as the "Back to Normal" transition. This is State wide and not just Arlington.

What this means for parents and students is that we will begin in September with the first day of school, to charge for all meals at all schools. We will reactivate all student categories to their pre-pandemic status of FREE, REDUCED, and PAID. If you have qualified in the past for free and reduced meals, you must fill out the application each year before the end of September. We will be processing all the applications starting in July. The applications are available at your children's school office and here online for you to download.

It is strongly recommended that you fund your children's "myschoolbucks.com" account before the start of school. If you do not have a myschoolbucks account, you can go to their Web site and open one there for each student. This office cannot do it for you as it involves your personal banking information.

The Two Most Frequently asked Questions about School Lunch.

I pay my taxes. Why do I have to pay for lunch?

Your food service department is not funded by the local school district budget. We rely on earned revenue at each school and reimbursements from the Federal Government along with grants from the Department of Defense and the New York State Office of General Services, known as "Commodities Awards", to keep our program going. Basically, school lunch is funded by the USDA and Administered by the State to each district. Local funds are not applied unless dire financial needs impact the departments' ability to operate. This is rare.

Isn't it a law that school lunch is free?

No. What became known as "Universal Free Lunch" grew out of the Pandemic Relief efforts and was extended to all schools to help people who may need it during the pandemic. It was always voluntary to join the program so long as the School District applied for and were granted the waivers to do so. It was funded by increased reimbursements from the USDA and some money from New York State.

Please contact the Food Services Department at (845)-486-4491 with any questions. 

District Wellness Policy:

The District Wellness Policy can be found at the following link to the Policy Manual:  https://www.arlingtonschools.org/cms/lib/NY02215626/Centricity/Domain/27/WellnessPolicy17.pdf

Wellness Committee Triennial Policy Review 08/01/2021.  

Wellness Assessment

The Dutchess County Summer Food Service Program

 A great way to ensure that kids get the healthy food they enjoy during the school year, even when schools are not in session. All kids are invited to drop by locations in Poughkeepsie, Beacon, Amenia/Millerton and Wappingers for a meal, activities, or both!

The summer meals opportunities in Dutchess County are collaborative efforts with various locations and hours.

Parents are encouraged to call 845-677-8223 extension 110 to find out more about all the Summer Food Service Programs being offered in your area. 

Click Here for More Information: Summer Food Service Program