Sign up for FREE FOOD for the 2025-26 School Year!

We are so happy to be able to offer free food to every student, thanks to National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. All students will be served a healthy breakfast and lunch at no charge, regardless of household income or any other factor, under the California Universal Meals Program at every district school: Bayview, Gault, Westlake, Delaveaga & Monarch Elementary Schools; Mission Hill & Branciforte Middle Schools; Santa Cruz, Harbor, Soquel & Costanoa High Schools; and Delta School, AFE, & Ark Independent Studies. 

To participate, all families should complete the quick application at sccs.net/food. 

By applying, you will help your school receive its full funding for everything from math and english instruction to counseling and more!

“We’re thrilled to once again be able to give the support and the comfort of good meals to all of our students,” said Santa Cruz City Schools Director of Food and Nutrition Services Amy Hedrick-Farr. “Reliable, easy access to healthy food is something we’re very proud to provide.” 

While food is free to all, School Districts are still required to collect general information about families served. Completing the form also qualifies families for potential discounts on internet, phone bill, college applications and SAT testing: sccs.net/food. 

Offering free food to all, says Hedrick-Farr, fits into Santa Cruz City Schools’ work to make food relationships a growing part of curriculum—with all elementary students participating in “life lab” gardens and learning about the ecology and science of horticulture. The district is proud of a food program that is increasingly local, sustainable and organic. In recent years, Hedrick-Farr has worked to make the food program more local, sustainable, organic—all while using “green”, biodegradable and plastic-free packaging, and composting waste for use in gardens. 

Unrestricted food access also provides an important avenue for equity and connection, according to Santa Cruz City Schools Superintendent Kris Munro. “Any time people break bread together, it creates a space for the creation and restoration of community,” said Munro. “I’m so proud of the incredible work of our tireless food services team.” 

For more information on free breakfast and lunch programs at Santa Cruz City Schools for the 2025-2026 school year, please contact Amy Hedrick-Farr, Director of Food Services at amyhedrickfarr@sccs.net, or at 831-429-3850. 

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 by: 

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.