Lunch Information
School Lunch Information
St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic School participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). We are committed to providing our students with a well-balanced, nutritious, appealing meal. Our menu meets USDA school lunch guidelines and consists of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including dark green and orange vegetables, dry beans, and peas. We offer low-fat and non-fat dairy products. The lunch menu is available on the website and in the Thursday Newsletter. Lunches purchased from outside food providers may not be brought into the lunchroom for St. Luke the Evangelist students. Healthy lunch choices are encouraged for all students. Since St. Luke’s participates in the NSLP, a portion of our lunch meals are reimbursable from the State of Iowa.
At this time, we employ a full-time food service director. Because our program relies heavily on volunteers, and when the pandemic began, we started using disposal trays and silverware. We know that this is not the ideal situation, and are working to change that. However, unless we have four volunteers per day we will be unable to move back to washing lunch trays and silverware. Four volunteers would allow three to serve the meal and help with clean-up, and one to focus on the dishwashing.
The layout of the kitchen is not conducive to the number of students we have. We have been trying to be creative with finding ways to provide more food options to students, especially in 3rd through 8th grade. Currently, we have been serving between 160 and 210 meals each day, and with the increase in the number of students, this makes it challenging to serve all the students in a timely manner, allow them adequate time to eat, and then have someone available to provide another food option. We were fortunate enough to be able to purchase another refrigerator in the hopes that we would be able to meet the needs of our students.
We have been discussing the possibility of offering an extra entree option for 3rd through 8th grade students. This would mean that students would be able to have an extra portion of the main meal. Students need to make that decision before completing the lunch count each day. The extra entree would cost an additional $2.00. The other option is offering a la carte items to 5th through 8th grade students. These items are generally yogurt, string cheese, Chex-mix, cereal bars, scooby snacks, goldfish, and water. The a la carte items would cost an additional $1.00. Once the decision has been made on the option that we will go forward with, we will communicate that to families.
Due to the addition of another section of 6th grade, we have had to modify lunch times to accommodate the use of the gym for PE classes. Lunch times are as follows:
Kindergarten - 2nd grade: 11:00-11:20 AM
3rd - 5th grade: 11:30-11:50 AM
6th - 8th grade: 12:00-12:15 PM
Meals are not going to be “FREE” to all students. The USDA is transitioning back to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Students that are eligible and approved for free or reduced-price meals will continue to receive meals at no charge (free) or at a reduced meal price ($0.40). All information needed to apply for free or reduced meals is found at the bottom of the letter. Students who are not eligible will pay $3.05 for lunch. Milk will remain at $0.50.
School Lunch Payments: The amount owed in your lunch account will be billed in FACTS monthly as an incidental expense. Notification from FACTS will be emailed when your bill has been posted. Payment should be made within 10 days of billing.
Special Diets/Food Allergies: Please let us know if your child has any food allergies or restrictions. Our school menu is peanut free but the cafeteria is not a peanut-free environment. Students with a school lunch will be seated next to students with allergies. A diet modification form must be completed for the student’s health file. The form may be accessed at the bottom of this letter.
Volunteers: Volunteer opportunities are available on our serving line. The hours are from 10:45 AM - 12:30 PM. If interested, sign up through the sign-up genius sent in the Thursday Newsletter.
Please contact Misty Hade at 515-985-7074 if you have any questions about our school lunch program. We look forward to serving your family this school year.
Information to apply for Free and Reduced Price School Meals:
How to Apply for Free and Reduced Price School Meals
How to Apply for Free and Reduced Price School Meals~ Spanish Version
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions~ Spanish Version
Free and Reduced School Meal Application
Free and Reduced School Meal Application~ Spanish Version
Diet Modification Form
Diet Modification Form~ Spanish Version