Hempfield School District has announced that universal access to free school meals, which was made available for the past two school years due to the pandemic, has ended. The federal funding for the program was not renewed for the 2022-23 school year, which means only eligible families will receive free or reduced-cost meals upon successful completion of the application process for the current school year.

To be eligible for the program, a family must complete an application for every school year. Applications may be completed at any time and will be approved based on federal standards for family size and income.

Hempfield School District families wishing to apply for free and reduced-cost meals for the current school year may visit http://www.hempfieldsd.org/foodservices and click Apply for Free and Reduced Meals on the left side of the page.

The aforementioned website includes resources such as an overview letter, eligibility guidelines, and online and print versions of the applications with instructions. Information is also available in Spanish, and there is a link for language translation of the application. The website also includes details on school menus, SchoolCafe login information, meal prices, payment options, and nutritional information.

Questions regarding free and reduced-cost meals can be directed to the Food Services Department at 717-898-5566.