2021-22 Federal Income Guidelines

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If you need language help, call the PPS Language Line:

• Spanish - 503.916.3582
• Chinese - 503.916.3585
• Russian - 503.916.3583
• Somali - 503.916.3586
• Vietnamese - 503.916.3584

• Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Schools
  • If students attend one of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools, an application is not needed unless there is student in a household that attends a non-CEP school. Students receive one breakfast and one lunch per school day at no cost.

• Provision 2  Schools
  
  • If students attend a Provision 2 school, they are eligible to receive one breakfast per school day at no cost. Families can submit a meal application to see if they qualify for free or reduced-price lunch meal benefits.
  • The Provision 2 schools are: Franklin, CTC SE, CTC NE.

Before the School Year Begins 

• To prevent meal charges from being incurred, we encourage all eligible families to submit a new application for free and reduced-price meals prior to the start of each new school year. This allows the application to be processed and the correct eligibility established before school starts. Families have the ability to fill out the Free and Reduced Price Meal Application online on or after July 1. Paper meal applications are available at every school office and cafeteria. Submit completed applications to the school cafeteria or mail to: PPS Nutrition Services, 501 N. Dixon St, Portland, OR 97227.

After the School Year Begins

• Completed meal applications are accepted anytime throughout the school year, and can be submitted to your student's school cafeteria or mailed to the PPS Nutrition Services Department.
• Families who were approved for free or reduced lunch last school year have a 30 carryover after school begins to submit a new meal application.
  • There are no charges incurred during the carryover period.
  • Please verify federal income guidelines before applying. If a meal application is denied within the carryover period, meal charges would begin 10 calendar days after the new application is processed. Families would need to provide meals from home or funds to purchase meals.
• All students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals receive one breakfast and one lunch per school day at no cost. However, a la carte milk ($.50) is not included in the meal benefit.

Please contact the Nutrition Services Meal Benefits Office at 503.916.3402 if you have questions or need additional assistance. For interpretation assistance, please call the PPS Language Line at 503.916.3427.

• Your household meets the 2021-22 Federal Income Guidelines
• You qualify for SNAP benefits and you do not receive a Direct Certification letter before school begins
• You take part in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
• You receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• You are applying for a Foster Child

• Meal benefits begin the day the meal application is approved. The eligibility date cannot be backdated to cover meals purchased prior to the approval date.
• Students can go to the school cafeteria and provide their 6-digit student ID# to receive one breakfast and/or one lunch per school day at no cost. However, a la carte milk ($.50 each) purchases are not covered as they are not reimbursable meals.
• Meal benefits are valid until the last day of school. 
• A new meal application must be submitted each school year to see if families qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
• Students who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals may also be eligible to receive additional benefits such as educational fee reductions and/or waivers as well as low cost internet (contact your Internet provider for more information). If you submit the Permission to Share form with your meal application, you can authorize the release of your Free or Reduced eligibility status to program officials that oversee the specified benefit(s). If you do not submit a form -- no information will be released. Just keep your meal benefits approval notification letter as proof of eligibility when applying for benefits.

• Families can provide their student(s) a meal from home or provide funds to purchase school meals.
• Families may submit a new meal application at any time during the school year if circumstances change (example, there is a decrease in income or increase in household members) which allow them to meet the federal income guidelines.

• Each year, a sample of free and reduced meal applications are selected at random to verify the information given on the application.
• Verification notifications are sent out in various methods -- phone, email, and letter to inform families of the process. If the required documentation to support the information listed on the meal application is not provided or does not meet federal guidelines, it will result in a loss of free and reduced-price meal benefits.
• Families selected need to submit documentation to show they meet program guidelines to maintain meal benefits.
• For a list of acceptable documentation, click here.
• Documents can be sent via email: mealbenefits@pps.net; or mail to: PPS Nutrition Services, PO Box 3107, Portland, OR 97208; or fax 503.916.3420.
• If you filled out your meal application online via SchoolCafe, you can take a picture of your documentaton and upload it via the SchoolCafé mobile app, or via a computer at www.schoolcafe.com/pps.
• For instructions on how to upload documentation via SchoolCafé, click here. To view a video on how to upload documents using SchoolCafé, click here.
• If you do not meet guidelines or do not want free and reduced-price meal benefits, you do not need to provide documentation. Meal benefits will end 10 calendar days after November 15. If circumstances change, families can submit a new meal application any time during the school year -- proof of income must be provided or it will delay the application process. 

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At the end of the school year, all student account balances (positive and negative), automatically rollover to the following school year. If a PPS student transfers* or transitions to another PPS school, example from 5th grade to middle school, or 8th grade to high school, families do not need to contact PPS Nutrition Services to transfer the funds. The funds are linked to the student's 6-digit student ID#, not the school they attend. 

If a student(s) has unused funds families have the following options:

1. Do nothing. The funds will remain in the account for the student to purchase a meal at any PPS feeding site.
2. Request a refund check. NOTE: Checks are sent in the mail within 4-6 weeks. Depending on the volume of requests, it may take less or more time to process.
3. Request the funds be transferred to another PPS student's meal account.
4. Request the funds be donated to a specific school or general fund to pay off negative balances.

To submit an online request for options 2-4, click here.

*NOTE to SchoolCafe Users: If the student transfers to an out-of-district school (in Oregon) that also uses SchoolCafe, a new account is not needed. Parents can update the school/district information via the SchoolCafe Profile. However, funds are not transferable. PPS families can request funds with one of the options listed above.

NOTE: Unclaimed funds that have not been used two consecutive years on inactive accounts are sent to the State of Oregon. To request these funds, please check the State's web site.

• Pandemic EBT Benefits
• Oregon Helps
• Oregon Food Bank
• Call 2-1-1 or Oregon SafeNet 1-800-SAFENET