LOUIS — Starting this week, any Cape Henlopen student under the age of 18 who has a school-issued student ID number, access to a free or reduced meal program or a few dollars in pocket money will be able to pick up a meal or two from an area school.
On July 1, Cape Henlopen Schools launched its summer nutrition program, providing breakfast and lunch from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Monday through Thursday at Lewis Elementary School (820 Savannah Road), Cape Henlopen High School (1250 Kings Hwy.) and Sussex Consortium (17344 Sweetbriar Road).
“They just have to stop by and ring the bell and we have a picnic area on site where they can enjoy their meal,” said Stacey Smith, child nutrition services supervisor for Cape Henlopen Schools.
Mr Smith explained that the meals would be typical school lunches served throughout the year and would be set based on the requirements of the MyPlate guidelines and the National School Lunch Pattern, with calorie, sugar and salt ranges set out and specific food components such as dark green vegetables, beans and whole grains provided each week.
And in the Cape Henlopen School District in Sussex County, a significant number of eligible students never even applied, meaning the meals are likely free.
Smith said the district has 6,802 students with less than 20 percent applying for free or reduced-price lunches, including 1,108 students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, leaving the district and its families with more than $55,000 in lunch debt.
“Anyone can apply, and we want everyone to apply because it allows them to avoid high debts and get more produce, fruits and vegetables with higher compensation,” she previously said.
Smith said schools are reimbursed at a higher rate by the state of Delaware for recipients of free and reduced-price lunches.
Smith said there is no way to know if meal pricing structures vary for different students because most transactions are processed through school-issued ID numbers, which don’t change while a student is enrolled.
Applications and eligibility requirements can be accessed and found on the Nutrition Services website at www.capehenlopenschoolmenus.com .
Students attending summer school can also take advantage of the Delaware Food Bank’s backpack program, which delivers shelf-stable food items to their homes over the weekend and allows parents to arrange for baby formula.
Online payments, prepayments and other services can be accessed through the Nutrition Services website or the MySchoolMenus app.
The site and application provide a complete listing of all food options available to students, nutritional data for menu items, ingredient information, allergen identification, dietary preference instructions, and translation services into other languages.
Contact staff writer Brian Gilliland at Please contact us at 410-603-3737 or bg@iniusa.org.
