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Food Services director delivers food to a table of students in the Meridian Park cafeteria
Support for Families Affected by Federal Government Shutdown

School Meal Benefits for Families Affected by the Government Shutdown

As the federal government shutdown continues, some families are beginning to miss regular paychecks. Households whose current income may now qualify their students for meal benefit assistance are encouraged to complete an application (CNEEB). The application can represent the household situation at the time of application. If students are approved for meal benefits, eligibility is for the entire school year, but if/when the household situation changes, they are encouraged to reach out to Nutrition Services to notify them that the household is no longer eligible.

Applications can be submitted electronically by logging into your Skyward Family Access account, on the Food Service tab. Paper applications are available at school or can be printed from the Shoreline Food Services website (available in English, Spanish, Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, and Tigrinya).
 

Determining Household Reportable Income
Category Description
Earnings from work
  • Wages, salaries, tips, commissions, and cash bonuses;
  • Net income from self-owned business, including farms;
  • Strike benefits, unemployment compensation, and worker’s compensation; and
  • Military basic pay and cash bonuses and allowances for off-base housing, food, and clothing (excluding combat pay, Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance, and privatized housing allowances; for more information, see Income Exclusions, page 30 of Eligibility Manual for School Meals).

Note that all approved meal applications are subject to verification. Families whose applications are randomly chosen for verification will be required to produce documentation of actual income for the application month up to the time they are selected for verification. 

Households do not have to be U.S. citizens for children to qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and completing the CNEEB application has no impact on immigration status.

Additional Family Supports Available

  • Qualifying for free meals makes you eligible for waivers of other school fees, such as ASB card and sports participation fees. 
  • All schools have a Friday food bag program, which provides students with a small bag of snacks and lunch items for the weekend. Contact your school’s family advocate for more information.
  • See below for information about The Works, the free clothing store for Shoreline students.
  • Your school’s family advocate can support families in connecting with community organizations that provide food and financial assistance.

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