Food Services

How does a family apply for free or reduced-price meal benefits for a student? 

• Visit our Free or Reduced-price Meals page for details!

Do I need to fill out an application for each child? 

• No, complete one Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application for all students in your household. Learn more on our Free or Reduced-price Meals page 

Will the information on my application be verified? 

• Yes, we may ask you to send written proof, through the verification process. 

May I apply if someone in my household is not a U.S. Citizen? 

• Yes, by law we cannot ask for citizenship. 

Can a student qualify for meal benefits (free or reduced-price) without completing a school meal application? 

• Yes. The Food Services Department directly certifies students for meal benefits through a data matching process with DSHS. Families who receive assistance benefits from programs such as Basic Food, TANF, or FDRIP are automatically qualified for free meals through this matching process which occurs several times during the school year. Students eligible for Medicaid benefits may qualify for free or reduced-priced meals. Additionally, free meals are extended to students who are certified as McKenney Vento (Homeless), Migrant, or Foster. However, to ensure your children qualify for free or reduced meals, a complete application with a case number is encouraged. Please note: Families are responsible for the cost of meals provided to a student prior to eligibility for free or reduced-priced meals being established. 

How are families informed if they qualify for free or reduced-price meal benefits? 

• Once processing is completed, our department first utilizes email (if available) to notify families of eligibility status. If no email address is available, a letter will be mailed home identifying the student's eligibility for free, reduced, or paid meals to the address on file. We also post eligibility letters on SKYWARD Family Access to the primary parent and/or guardian's account on file. Processing of meal benefit applications may take up to 10 days. 

Do families need to complete an application for free or reduced-price meal benefits each year? 

• Yes, if you are wanting free or reduced meals. Students returning to a school in the Stanwood Camano School District start the first 30 days of the school year retaining their prior year's eligibility for free or reduced-priced meals; this does not include additional benefits such as sports and ASB cards. Families are encouraged during this initial time period to submit an application for the current year for processing. Families who do not have a current year application for their student processed during the first 30 school days will "roll over" to the paid status on the 31st school day, which is typically mid-October. Please note: Families are responsible for the cost of meals provided to a student prior to eligibility for free or reduced-priced meals being established.  

Can a family submit an application for school meal benefits anytime during the year? 

• Yes, while applications for the current year are typically processed from August to October, if a family's income or household size changes during the year, an online or paper application can be submitted (or resubmitted) to determine eligibility for free or reduced-priced meals. Application processing closes on the last day of the school year. Eligibility will not be backdated, it begins the day the application was processed. 

What is included in a meal? 

• Breakfast — Offered, all students, regardless of their eligibility for free, reduced, or paid meals, are offered a variety of entrée options each day. In addition to entrees, students may select from a variety of fresh, canned, or dried fruits, 100% fruit juice and pick their choice of milk (1% white milk, non-fat chocolate milk). In order to count as a reimbursable USDA school meal — of the four food groups offered (milk, fruit, grain, meat, or meat alternate) students must take what amounts to three items out of the four groups, a ½ cup fruit serving is required to be one of the three items.
• Lunch — All students, regardless of their eligibility for free, reduced, or paid meals, are offered a variety of entrée options each day. These entrée options are served through the "mainline" in the cafeteria. In addition to entrees, students in the mainline may select from a variety of fresh, canned, or dried fruits and vegetables on the salad bar and pick their choice of milk (1% or non-fat white milk or non-fat chocolate milk). In order to count as a reimbursable USDA school meal — of the five food groups offered (milk, fruit, vegetable, grain, meat, or meat alternate) students must take what amounts to three servings out of the five groups. A ½ cup serving of fruit and/or vegetable is required to be one of the three choices.
• A la Carte Options — In addition to the "meal," Food Services provides students with the opportunity to purchase additional food or beverage items through a la carte choices available on the mainline or via the a la carte Line in the Middle & High Schools. A la carte items may be purchased with cash or through a student's school meal account. A la carte may not be charged to a student's account if they do not have money. Examples of items sold a la carte include bottled water, carbonated fruit juices, bottled juices, chips, cookies, fresh fruit cups, a single slice of pizza, bagel and cream cheese, yogurt parfaits, etc. 

How can I pay for school meals? 

• Food Services offers a variety of convenient ways to pay for school meals. Checks and cash are accepted by the Lunchroom Cashier, either as a pre-paid deposit to a student's account or for purchasing individual meals, milk, or other a la carte items. If sending cash, insert cash into a sealed envelope with your student's name, and the lunch number clearly printed on the front of the envelope. If sending a check, include your student's name and lunch number in the notes section of the check. Checks should be made payable to Stanwood Camano School District (or SCSD). Student meals may also be paid for with a credit card online through InTouch. Parents may monitor their student's account history and view purchases without a fee. 

How does a family request a refund on their student's school meal account? 

• A refund request can be made at the child's school through your child's cafeteria, their school's Main Office or by emailing . Refunds are made to the primary guardian on file, regardless of who made the payment to the account. Processing of refunds may take up to 10 business days. Cash refunds are offered through your child's school if the balance is less than $10. Credit card refunds are not available at this time. 

Is it possible to move funds between the school meal accounts of two siblings? 

• Yes, requests for transfers between student accounts may be made via phone or in-person in your child's cafeteria by, or emailing mhuntley@stanwood.wednet.edu or dvenetti@stanwood.wednet.edu 

Where can I find a school breakfast and lunch menu? 

• See our Menus page for links to each school's menu, which is also available in our app and in the weekly school newsletters. 

Our family is vegetarian. Are vegetarian lunches available? 

• Meatless choices are available every day. Some of the lunch choices available include salad bar, yogurt parfaits, giant pretzels, toasted cheese sandwiches, cheese pizza, macaroni and cheese, and vegetable lasagna with tomato sauce. Families following strict vegan regimes may need to provide lunch from home. 

How do I open a lunch account for my student? 

• When you enroll your student in school, they are automatically issued a Food Services meal account. They are given a seven-digit student ID number (lunch number) which they keep throughout their years in the Stanwood Camano School District. Students enter their seven-digit student ID into a keypad to access their meal account. Each student is encouraged to memorize their own number so that students move quickly and efficiently during the meal periods. Families are expected to maintain positive balances on their students' accounts. 

Can parents eat with their students? 

• We welcome parents to eat with their student(s). 

What if I forget to send lunch money to school? 

• A new application must be completed each year. Free/Reduced meals eligibility ends 30 school days after the start of the new school year. Additional benefits do not carry over from the previous school year. 

If my student changes schools, does their money go with them? 

• Yes, if they change schools within the Stanwood-Camano School District their money and free/reduced status will follow them. If your students plan to move out of the Stanwood-Camano School District, please request a refund. 

What if my child is moving from a CEP (Community Eligibility Provision) or Provision 2 school? 

• If your child or children are moving from a CEP or Provision 2 school, please notify the Food Services Department immediately so that we can help you navigate the Free & Reduced Lunch Program available in our district.

District Policies and & Procedures

• Policy 6700 Nutrition
• Policy 6701 Recess and Physical Activity
• Policy 6702 Wellness

Health and Wellness Topics and Resources

• Age Appropriate Cooking Activities
• Healthy Celebrations for Kids
• Device Distractions - Keeping you and your Family Safe
• Turn Your Diet Green in 4 Simple Steps
• Fueling Your Child's Performance Nutrition for the Young Athlete

.Healthy Parties & Celebrations

• Healthy & Active Classroom Parties
• Healthy Celebration Guide
• Healthy Celebrations - But It's Just a Cupcake

Classroom Physical Activity Breaks & Indoor Recess

• Brain Breaks, Instant Recess & Energizers
• In-School Activity Breaks
• Indoor Recess 101
• In-Class Physical Activity Breaks

Alternatives to Withholding Physical Activity for Discipline

• Alternatives to Withholding Recess & Physical Activity

Non-Food Fundraising Ideas

• Health Fundraising Alternatives for Schools
• Fundraising - Healthier Ways to Rake It In
• Cash without Calories - Fundraising Without Food
• Non-food Alternatives for School Rewards & Fundraising

Non-Food Rewards in School

• Considering Food Allergies - Non-Food Rewards
• Effective & Healthy Rewards for Kids
• Constructive Classroom Rewards

Food Services is proud of our clean and sanitary kitchens and the staff who work hard at maintaining them. Here are the most recent Health Inspection Reports from each of the schools in our District.

• Cedarhome Elementary School Health Inspections April 2026
• Elger Bay Elementary Health Inspection October 2023
• Stanwood Elementary Health Inspection May 2026
• Twin City Elementary School Health Inspection October 2025
• Utsalady Elementary Health Inspection March 2024
• Lincoln Hill High School Health Inspection May 2026
• Port Susan Middle School Health Inspection May 2026
• Stanwood Middle School Health Inspection Occtober 2025
• Stanwood High School Health Inspection April 2026

Donald Vennetti

Food Service Director

26920 Pioneer Hwy, Stanwood, WA 98292

Phone: 360-629-1208

FAX: (360) 629-1209

dvennetti@stanwood.wednet.edu

Michelle Huntley

Food Service Secretary: Applications, account balance, transfers, eligibility

26920 Pioneer Hwy, Stanwood, WA 98292

Phone: 360-629-1411

FAX: (360) 629-1209

Email: MHuntley@stanwood.wednet.edu

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.