MATES participates in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program by offering nutritious meals every school day. As you know, students at public schools across California can receive two free meals a day. Under California’s Universal Meals Program (AB 130), all students, regardless of their parents’ income are eligible for free breakfast and lunch. Parents do need to pre-order these meals to assure that we have enough for each child.

While all school meals are free of charge, the Universal Meals Program is meant to supplement, not replace the federal school nutrition program, and all federal regulations still apply for the determination of eligibility for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. If found eligible, MATES receives additional funds for students who qualify for free or reduced meal benefits.

We ask you to complete the meal application if:

• Your household’s income is within the limits of the federal Income Eligibility Guidelines or
• Children in your household receive benefits from CalFresh, CalWORKs, Medi-Cal or FDPIR or
• Foster children under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court or
• Children meet the definition of homeless, migrant or runaway

Please complete only ONE application per household. If you have received a Direct Certification Notification Letter in the mail, you DO NOT need to fill out an application.

When filling out your application, please remember to:

• List all children in the household, whether or not they attend school.
• List all adults living in the household, and each person’s income. if there is no income, mark the “No Income” box.
• If you receive CalFresh or CalWorks benefits, include your case number. Only the case number may be used to determine eligibility. An EBT card number cannot be used to determine eligibility.
• Provide the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you do not have a Social Security number, check the box marked “NONE”.
• Please sign your application.

Please be assured that all information shared remains confidential. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].