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FRESHAMPTON

FRESHAMPTON

“Freshampton, the School Nutrition Service of Northampton Public Schools”

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Important Menu Update

Last minute menu changes are occurring frequently and are out of our control due to food supply chain issues.

Menus on this website may not reflect these changes.

We appreciate your patience and understanding. Thank You!

School Meal Modification Request

If a meal modification is requested for your child/student, please complete the following form and submit the form to your school nurse. Thank you!

March Harvest of the Month: Potatoes

What is the origin of the potato?

The Inca Indians in Peru were the first to cultivate potatoes around 8,000 BC to 5,000 B.C. 

The ancient civilizations of the Incas used the time it took to cook a potato as a measurement of time.

The journey of the potato from Peru to The United States:

In 1536, Spanish Conquistadors in Peru transported the potato to Europe. At first, the vegetable was not widely accepted. Sir Walter Raleigh introduced potatoes to Ireland in 1589, but it took nearly four decades for the potato to spread to the rest of Europe. It wasn’t until Prussia’s King Fredrick planted potatoes during wartime hoping that peasants would start eating them. Potatoes arrived in the colonies in the 1620s when the Governor of the Bahamas sent a gift box containing potatoes to the governor of the colony of Virginia.

The potato spread throughout the northern colonies in limited quantities, until the potato received an aristocratic seal of approval from Thomas Jefferson, who served potatoes to guests at the White House. Thereafter, the potato steadily gained in popularity.

 

Fun Facts about Potatoes

  • In October 1995, the potato became the first vegetable to be grown in space. NASA and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, created the technology with the goal of feeding astronauts on long space voyages, and eventually, feeding future space colonies. 
  • In the 1800’s, people traded potatoes for gold. 
  • Potatoes are easy to grow; unlike other crops, they do not require large amounts of fertilizer or chemical additives and use less water than other crops.
  • The biggest potato grown to date from one plant was 370 pounds! This was in 1974 by Englishman Eric Jenkins.
  • Today potatoes are grown in all 50 states of the USA and in about 125 countries throughout the world.
  • Potato blossoms used to be a big hit in royal fashion. Potatoes first became fashionable when Marie Antoinette paraded through the French countryside wearing potato blossoms in her hair.

Potato Blossom

School Year 2023 – 2024: Free and Reduced Meal Status Applications

Although meals are free for all public school students in Massachusetts, a student and their family may qualify for other benefits based on the student’s Free and Reduced Lunch Status. A student’s Status is determined in one of two ways: 1. Direct Certification from the Department of Health and Human Services, or 2. The Application Process. If your student qualifies by Direct Certification, you will receive a letter from the School Nutrition/Food Service Office at the beginning of the school year. If you do not receive the letter, please fill out an application for the current school year if you believe your family qualifies based on the household income.

Families at Bridge Street Elementary school qualify for free meals based on Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and need not apply.

If your family received a letter informing you that your student has qualified for Free or Reduced Meal Status by Direct Certification, you DO NOT NEED TO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION.



 

Adult Meal Prices School Year 2023-2024

Adult Breakfast:

$3.00 (plus 7% MA Meals Tax) = $3.21

Adult Lunch:

$5.00 (plus 7% MA Meals Tax) = $5.35

 

Create your  MySchoolBucks account to conveniently view your student’s cafeteria purchases, check their balance, and securely pay for a la carte items.

 
 
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Important Update from MySchoolBucks “Fee Changes”

Thank you for trusting MySchoolBucks as your online payment portal for cafeteria payments. We are proud to partner with your program and thousands like yours, in delivering convenient and secure payment, communication, and account management services to busy families across the US.

Due to rising payment processing interchange fees and continued increases in operational costs, we’re updating the MySchoolBucks program fee that parents and guardians pay at checkout to $3.25 for all cafeteria credit/debit card prepayments beginning on March 7th. If your district accepts e-checks, the program fee for electronic check payments will increase to $2.75 per meal payment on the same date. This adjustment to our program fee for school meals is necessary to continue providing you and your families with the best and most secure online payment experience, while continuing to maintain the highest levels of data privacy.

 The program fee is designed to cover the costs of providing the optional MSB services and includes a variety of items, including payment processing costs, live parent and school support, compliance and information security requirements, as well as the software used to manage meal payments.

We recognize that fee updates during the school year can be disruptive, but we can no longer absorb these cost increases without negatively affecting the service we provide. Our intent for increasing our program fee is to be less impactful to your families than a one-time fee.

We recognize that fee updates during the school year can be disruptive, but we can no longer absorb these cost increases without negatively affecting the service we provide. Our intent for increasing our program fee is to be less impactful to your families than a one-time fee.

Offer vs. Serve Policy for Lunch

A school lunch that is eligible for federal reimbursement must offer 5 food components for each meal served (milk, fruit, vegetables, grains and meat/meat alternatives. Students may decline 2 of the required 5 items offered but must select either a ½ cup fruit or vegetable or a ½ cup combination of fruit/vegetable with their meal. In addition to the fruit or vegetable, the student must select at least 2 additional food components in full amounts offered in order for the meal to count toward the reimbursable offer vs serve meal. The price of the meal will not be determined by the number of components the student chooses. The lunch is priced as a unit whether the student declines 2 items or chooses all 5 items. Field trip bag lunches or special occasion meals in the classroom contain all 5 food components and are exempt from this policy.

Offer vs. Serve for Breakfast

A school breakfast that is eligible for reimbursement shall offer 3 food components (milk, fruit and grains) that consists of a minimum of 4 items. Students may decline 1 food item, but must select at least ½ cup of fruit or fruit combination. After choosing the ½ cup of fruit, students must select the other food components in the full amounts to count toward the reimbursable offer vs. serve meal. The price of the meal will not be determined by the number of components the student chooses. The breakfast is priced as a unit whether the student accepts all 4 items or declines.

Non Discrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil

rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of

race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age,

or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with

disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g.,

Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or

local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice

and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027,

USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online

at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-

0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by

writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address,

telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient

detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an

alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA

 

  1. mail:
    U.S. Department of Agriculture
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
    1400 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
  2. fax:
    (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

      3. email: program.intake@usda.gov


This institution is an equal opportunity provider.