School Meals in New Jersey

School meals in New Jersey are offered mainly through the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.

The New Jersey school meals programs make nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free meals available to school children each school day in the year.

School meals nutritional standards are based on the recommendation from the Institute of Medicine and the U.S. Government and teachers have reported that students perform better in class if they get regular meals.

Children getting school breakfast also had significantly reduced absence and tardiness rates, according to a Tufts University study.

New Jersey School Lunch Program | New Jersey School Breakfast Program

 

Special Milk Program in New Jersey

New Jersey Special Milk Program offers milk to children in schools, childcare institutions, and eligible camps. Any child in a school or institution that participates in the Special Milk Program can get milk.

Schools may elect to offer free milk to low-income children. In order to qualify for New Jersey Special Milk, the child must be a resident of the State of New Jersey.

New Jersey Special Milk Program

 

Summer Food Program in New Jersey

Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is another New Jersey food assistance program that provides free meals and snacks to help low-income New Jersey children get nutritious meals in the summertime.

The Summer Food Service Program is a federal program that provides grants to local sponsors who want to combine a food service with a summer activity program.

The funding provided by SFSP ensures that New Jersey children in low-income areas continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations when they do not have access to school lunch or breakfast.

New Jersey Summer Food Service Program

 

Senior Nutrition in New Jersey

New Jersey Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) provides low-income seniors with special checks to buy fresh, nutritious fruits, vegetables, and herbs from authorized farmers’ markets. To qualify for New Jersey senior nutrition special checks, the applicants must be 60 years of age or older and their gross household income must not exceed certain limits.

An application must be completed for each person in the household that wants to apply for the SFMNP benefits. Once approved, each beneficiary must reapply every year to continue participating in the New Jersey Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. Learn more about how the senior nutrition program works.

New Jersey Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program

Sources: State Agencies, FNS, USDA