Santa Maria-Bonita School District provides thousands of daily free meals to students 

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The Santa Maria-Bonita School District has announced its policy for serving meals to students under the National School Lunch/School Breakfast Programs for the 2023-2024 school year.

All students will be served lunch and breakfast at no charge at all schools in the entire district under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). 

Additionally, students participating in after-school programs will receive supper meals at no charge.

Beginning in the school 2022–2023 year, California was the first state in the country to implement a statewide Universal Meals Program for school children. 

California’s Universal Meals Program is built on the foundations of the federal National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. 

California’s state meal mandate was expanded to include both a nutritiously adequate breakfast and lunch, not just for children from families in financial need, but for all children each school day. 

The California State Legislature allocated funds to provide additional state meal reimbursement to school districts to cover the cost of the Universal Meals Program.

SMBSD has been providing breakfast and lunch at no charge to all SMBSD students under a variety of federal and state eligibility programs since the 2005-2006 school year.