WESTMINSTER : School Meal Program Forms Available

About 4,000 Westminster School District students may be eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs, spokeswoman Audrey Brown said.

Information and applications for the program, which begins Sept. 8, will be sent home with students this fall. Guidelines and application forms are also available at school offices and may be completed and returned any time during the school year, she said.

Students may be eligible based on their household’s size and total income. For example, children in a household of four would be eligible for free meals if the family made less than $19,240 a year. The same children would be eligible for reduced-price meals if the family’s annual income ranged from $19,240 to $27,380, Brown said.

To apply, an application must be turned in with the names of all family members and the Social Security number of the person signing the application. It must also include the total household income and source of income received by each family member, she said.

Children from households receiving food stamps and Aid to Families with Dependent Children benefits are automatically eligible. Their applications must include the eligible children’s names, the food stamp or AFDC case number and the name and signature of an adult house member. Foster children are also eligible, she said.

School district staff will review applications and determine eligibility. Sue Venaas, interim food service director, will answer questions and evaluate formal appeals. She can be reached at (714) 894-7311, Ext. 242, or by mail at district headquarters, 14121 Cedarwood Ave., Westminster, Calif. 92683.