Hi Bulldog Families,

I hope you are well! The Olmsted Falls City Schools Food Service Department looks forward to welcoming students back into our building cafeterias when school starts in Hybrid mode next week.  We are emailing to update you on some major changes in how food service will look this year.  Please take a few moments to review the information below and do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions!

FREE Meals for ALL: The USDA is planning to extend free meals for all kids through December 31, 2020. This means that no matter what income status your child is, they can receive a free breakfast and lunch with no questions asked! There will be no paperwork necessary to receive this benefit. This meal will consist of an entree, fruit, and milk at breakfast and an entree, fruit, vegetable, and milk at lunch. Even with these free meals, we still encourage you to have money on your student’s EZPay account so they will have the ability to purchase an extra treat from our healthy a la carte options.  (All a la carte options such as chips, ice cream, etc.,are not part of the free meal offering, but will still be available for purchase.)  We are waiting for final directives from the Ohio Department of Education Office of Integrated Student Supports before this extension becomes official. You will be notified when this will go into effect!

Payment: Due to strict safety regulations and the national coin shortage, we will only accept electronic payments through the EZPay system this school year. EZPay is a simple, safe, and secure way to make payments to your student’s meal account. If we receive cash payments, we cannot guarantee exact change being returned due to the coin shortage. If you need help creating an EZPay account for your student(s), please contact Julie Bartell at jbartell@ofcs.net or (440) 427-6441.

Menu: Due to changes in the supply chain and more intensive government/public health safety guidelines, the breakfast and lunch menus have been simplified and are better suited for a grab-and-go style in order to keep meals individually wrapped and safe to eat. This year, the menus will be the same across all five school buildings. 

Safety Measures: Keeping students and staff safe and healthy in all of our cafeterias is the top priority of the OFCS Food Service Department.  Six-foot social distancing will be enforced in all eating spaces and cafeteria lines. All food-service staff will wear personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times to ensure food safety. All foods will be individually wrapped unless handed to the student by a food service employee.

Curbside Pickup/Delivery Service for School Days Your Student is NOT in the building: We are working to coordinate the most efficient method for your student(s) to receive our meals on school days when they are not physically in the building due to the Hybrid schedule.  Please take a moment to fill out the brief survey link below in order to help determine our staffing needs for curbside pick-up and delivery service: 

Food Service Survey Regarding School Days Your Student Is NOT In The Building

Once survey results are received, we will communicate with you as soon as possible about which service we can offer and how to sign up. To ensure a smooth, well-organized service, we will not be offering a curbside or delivery option until the second week of school on September 14th. Meals will only be served to students who are in the building during the first week of school.

Food Service Ordering Process for School Days Your Student is NOT in the building:  Olmsted Falls City Schools will again be providing meals for all of our students during the school week - this includes on school days when they are not physically in the building. In order to properly plan and provide this service, orders for breakfast and lunch must be placed on this Daily Order Form. To order for the upcoming school day when your child will not be in the school building, this form will be open from 3:00pm - 11:59pm the day before. For example, meals for Monday need to be submitted by 11:59pm on Sunday night. When students are physically in the building, there is no need to use the daily order form. Please bookmark this form on your computer or mobile device so you have easy access to it!

Free/Reduced Meal Application: Please follow this link to find out how to fill out your electronic or paper free/reduced application. If your family’s financial situation has been affected by the pandemic, you can check out the application to see if you qualify. Even though we expect meals for all students to be free through December 31, 2020, it is important that you still fill out this application to see if you can receive a school fee waiver and so that your student(s) will be signed up for free/reduced meals once the USDA free meal extension is over. If you need help with this application, please contact Julie Bartell at jbartell@ofcs.net or (440) 427-6441.

We hope that in this abnormal year, you will still consider receiving meals from OFCS Food Service for the following reasons:

• Countless studies show that proper nutrition is crucial for a child’s development and greatly improves their school performance. All meals served meet strict USDA nutrition guidelines to ensure adequate nutrition for each student.
• Our meals will help take some of the burden off of parents who may be juggling working from home and helping their students with remote learning.
• With rising grocery prices, it has become more costly to make meals at home. Now with meals expected to be free for all students, you can save a significant amount of money each week on food.
• By receiving meals through OFCS Food Service, you will be doing your part to support a local business. Even though the meals may be free for you, our department receives government reimbursement from each meal that funds everything that we do!

OFCS Food Service takes a lot of pride in serving our students healthy, delicious meals to fuel them during the school day and to support their growth. We are always so thankful for your support and we look forward to feeding your student(s), no matter what the school year looks like!  Again, I encourage you to reach out to me or Mrs. Bartell with any questions. 

Thanks,

Sam Chin MS, RDN, LD

Food Service Director

Olmsted Falls City Schools

(440) 427-6440

schin@ofcs.net

Instagram: ofcsbulldogcafe