In December 2022, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) announced the allocation of $6.75 million dollars for schools to offer meals free of charge to students who qualify for reduced-price meal benefits in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program in Arizona. This funding is provided through ADE’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) set aside project funds and runs through the end of the school year 2024.

Currently, MUSD families with students who qualify for reduced-price meal benefits may incur a fee of up to $0.40 for each lunch. MUSD already does not charge reduced-priced eligible students for breakfast, so this only affects those families who have been paying $0.40 for lunch. The ESSER funds will be used to subsidize/cover MUSD reduced-price lunch meal fees for students and will be provided to the National School Lunch Program operators by ADE as a meal reimbursement. The ADE expects that these funds will lessen or remove financial barriers to meal access that students and households might experience.

Complete the Free or Reduced-Price Meals application today, to see if you qualify!

Please contact Food Services if you have additional questions: maranafoodservices@maranausd.org or call 520-682-4734.