Free School Meals
All Long Lake CSD students are eligible to receive FREE school meals (1 breakfast and 1 lunch per day), regardless of family income, through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). Additional meals, snacks and a la carte items will still need to be paid for. Students will be able to purchase those items with cash or funds available on their LINQ Connect accounts.
No application is required; however families should complete this Household Income Eligibility Form (HHIE) The data gathered from this form can qualify students for additional benefits and allows the district to receive additional state and federal funding. The online form only requires an income range and is confidential.
For questions about the HHIE form, please contact: Susan Frank, Program Specialist, susan.frank@neric.org or (518) 464-5133.
Students requesting a second meal, snack, drink, or any a la carte item must have funds either in hand or on account to pay for them. These items are not free. You can create an account for your child at LINQ Connect using this link: https://linqconnect.com/LD97UH
Cafeteria Menus
You can also view menus, allergens, and nutritional values on LINQ Connect, here.
If you have difficulty accessing the above menus, please email jeffrey.bartone@neric.org
LINQ Connect Information
Students will continue to have individual school meal accounts on LINQ Connect. Parents/Guardians can manage those accounts
and add funds for additional meals and snacks not included in the free breakfasts and lunches. Online deposits can be added to LINQ Connect or checks can be made payable to Long Lake CSD Food Service.
Breakfast
All students can get one free breakfast every school day. Breakfast is served every school day from enter breakfast times here.
Research shows that children who eat breakfast:
- show improvement on math, reading and standardized test scores
- establish healthier habits for later in life
- have fewer absences and incidences of tardiness
- are more likely to behave better in school
- consume more calcium, fiber, foliate and protein
Food Assistance Resources and EBT Update
Local Food Pantries
https://llwesleyan.com/index.php/food-pantry/
SNAP
SNAP provides monthly benefits to buy food at grocery stores, farmers markets, and other locations. SNAP helps families stretch their food budget so kids can get the nutrition they need to learn and grow. See if you are eligible here and apply for SNAP online at MyBenefits.ny.gov
The Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) offers one-on-one help applying for SNAP. NOEP can tell you if you may be eligible for SNAP, answer questions, and help with your application. It’s free and confidential. Find a NOEP Coordinator near you at FoodHelpNY.org.
Summer Food
Nutritious free meals are available for children and teens 18 and younger at many locations throughout the nation throughout the summer while school is out of session. Please visit the USDA website to find a location near you, or text “Summer Meals” to 97779 or call 1-866-348-6479 to find a site nearby.
- Benefits are currently being issued to eligible children in kindergarten through grade 12 who attend public school and received a letter in the mail that benefits will be issued to an existing Pandemic-EBT card that was used to access their P-EBT benefits. If you no longer have this P-EBT card, follow these instructions to request a replacement card.
- During the first two weeks of August, benefits will be issued to eligible children in kindergarten through grade 12 who attend public school and received a letter in the mail saying that a new Summer EBT card will be mailed to them. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for Summer EBT benefit cards to arrive in the mail. Information about how to activate/PIN a Summer EBT card is available here.
- Eligible students who attend non-public school (private, religious, or independent schools) are expected to begin receiving benefits in late August into September.
- Children determined eligible through an application will receive benefits beginning in late August through October 2024, depending on when the application was submitted. All children determined eligible through an application will be mailed a new Summer EBT food benefit card.
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Children who became newly eligible for summer EBT because they were enrolled in Medicaid or SNAP, or certified for free meals by their school at the end of the school year, are expected to receive benefits in October 2024.
