The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides benefits to students at participating schools. All RI schools participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
•    Depending on family income and the number of family members, students could be eligible for free meals or reduced-price meals; these students can be charged no more than 40 cents.
•    If you completed an application at the beginning of the school year and your income situation changed, you can re-apply all year long.
•    Contact your school nutrition department to fill out a school meal application today.

As the cost of everything increases – there is one meal that is still a great value: both nutritionally and economically! School lunch is still an incredible value at Rhode Island school districts.

School Lunch Includes Five Great Choices:
•    Milk – Fat free or 1% - flavored or regular
•    Vegetables – From fresh carrot sticks to steamed broccoli
•    Fruit – Everything from pineapple to locally grown apples; often fresh
•    Grains – More whole grain items like rolls or sandwich bread
•    Meat or meat alternate – Items like white meat chicken, bean chili, lean beef

Save Money: Eat School Lunch
•    On average it costs less to buy a school lunch than to bring a lunch from home.
•    The estimated national average of a school lunch from home was $3.43 last school year.*

School Lunch vs. Bagged Lunch
$2.08          $3.43
Total savings = $243 per year!**

*According to a meal cost analysis by Alice Jo Rainville, PhD, RD, CHE, SNS of Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI

** Comparison of national averages when lunch is purchased every day for a 180-day school year.

Rhode Island Wellness Wise Newsletter for Parents, March 2009

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