Welcome to Student Nutrition Services

Transforming nutrition for our scholars, one delicious dish at a time.

At Hopkins, we believe introducing children to a variety of foods early in life will broaden their taste palettes, allowing them to develop a healthier diet. Our schools have full kitchens where our cooks can prepare meals from scratch. We partner with local farmers to bring fresh foods to our scholar's tables.

Both breakfast and lunch programs are available at all schools. Meals served in our cafeterias must meet Department of Agriculture guidelines.

A variety of services are offered under the guidance of the nutrition department. Breakfast and lunch programs, a restaurant quality menu, a la carte lines, a catering and concessions service, and student wellness/education resources represent the major services.

Make Online Payment for
Meal Accounts

*Go to the Message Center and select the Food Service tab

Woman wearing apron uses tongs to grab tomatos from food trays.

Complete a Special Diet Statement Form

Hopkins Student Nutrition Services is happy to work with students who need meal substitutions on a case-by-case basis. Caretaker requests must be supported by a written medical statement from a state licensed healthcare professional. Medical Statements can be retrieved directly from Hopkins Student Nutrition Services, School Nurses, or Kitchen Supervisors.

Download the Special Diet Request Form

*If this PDF form is not compatible with your screen reader or other accessibility device, please contact 952-988-4060 or email Nutrition@HopkinsSchools.org.

How do I fill out a Special Diet Statement form?

Caretakers can use the following example to see a properly filled out form: Special Diet Statement Form Example

What do I do with it after it is filled out?

Once filled out by a caretaker, the form must be approved and signed by a state licensed healthcare professional. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) only permits the following state licensed healthcare professionals to complete and sign a written medical statement for a disability: licensed physicians, physician assistants, or nurse practitioners. After the form has been returned and signed by a state licensed healthcare professional, the caretaker can submit the form by emailing it to Andrea Schaack or mailing it to Hopkins Student Nutrition Services.

Email: Andrea.Schaak@hopkinsschools.org
Mail: Hopkins Public Schools - Student Nutrition, 1001 Highway 7, Hopkins, MN 55305

What if my child does not have a disability but I still want to request a diet accommodation due to religious, philosophical, or ethical reasons?

Nutrition Services offers a variety of meal choices, including vegetarian options, in order to accommodate student preferences.

2022-23 Meal Prices

All student meals will NOT be free for the 2022-23 school year

The USDA has determined that school meals will NOT be free for all scholars for the 22-23 school year. Therefore, a meal benefit application will need to be filled out to obtain free or reduced meals.

Meal applications for the 2022-23 school year are available in the Free Meals & Food Assistance tab on this page.

2022-23 Full Price Paid Student Meals

High School Student: Breakfast - $2.00; Lunch - $3.70
Junior High Student: Breakfast - $1.75; Lunch - $3.45
Grades 1-6 Student: Breakfast - $1.50; Lunch - $3.20
Kindergarten Student: Breakfast - FREE; Lunch - $3.20

Help our district qualify for important federal and state financial resources to support education

Click the Free Meals & Food Assistance tab for details. A new application must be completed each school year by October 1 for continuation of meal benefits from one year to the next.

Meal benefits are available to students whose families meet certain requirements such as: families might have either one or more children who receive MFIP, SNAP or FDPIR benefits, have a foster child or have a household income within certain guidelines. Free or reduced price meal benefit information is private data and is kept confidential.

School Menus

The breakfast and lunch menus for elementary, junior high, and high school students can be found using the following links. Feel free to print the menus or bookmark links for easy access.

All meals meeting the USDA serving requirements are free for all scholars.
Menus are subject to change based on product availability.
Milk is served with all scholar meals; milk will not be sold a la carte.
The fresh fruit and vegetable bar is available during lunch.
Hot or cold vegetarian options are available daily.

Elementary

Hopkins ElementaryBreakfast & LUnch Menu

Junior High

Junior HighBreakfast & Lunch Menu

High School

Hopkins High SchoolBreakfast Menu

Hopkins High SchoolLunch Menu

Meal Benefits: Free Meals & Food Assistance

Free Meals & Food Assistance

Meal Benefits Application Information

Hopkins Public Schools Nutrition & Lifestyle Services offers breakfast and lunch and strives to produce quality meals at a reasonable cost.

Households may apply for free/reduced meals anytime during the school year. Applications are mailed to all households in the District prior to the school year and are included in enrollment packets. In addition, applications are available online or at any school office or kitchen.

If you need to apply for free meals for your children, there are two ways to apply:

Option 1: Apply Online

Log In to Campus Parent Portal

Option 2: Download Applications

Application for Free School Meals 2022-23 (English)

Application for Free School Meals 2022-23 (Spanish)

Application for Free School Meals 2022-23 (Hmong)

Application for Free School Meals 2022-23 (Somali)

If these PDFs are not accessible with your screen reader or other accessibility device, please contact the Student Nutrition department at 952-988-4060.

Important Message

2022-23 Full Price Paid Student Meals

High School Student: Breakfast - $2.00; Lunch - $3.70
Junior High Student: Breakfast - $1.75; Lunch - $3.45
Grades 1-6 Student: Breakfast - $1.50; Lunch - $3.20
Kindergarten Student: Breakfast - Free; Lunch - $3.20

Our school provides healthy meals each day. Your children may qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. To apply, complete the enclosed Application for Educational Benefits following the instructions. A new application must be submitted each year. At public schools, your application also helps the school qualify for education funds and discounts.

State funds help to pay for reduced-price school meals, so all students who are approved for either free or reduced-price school meals will receive school meals at no charge. State funds also help to pay for breakfasts for kindergarten students, so all participating kindergarten students receive breakfasts at no charge. Return your completed Application for Educational Benefits to:

Hopkins Public Schools - Student Nutrition
1001 Highway 7
Hopkins, MN 55305

Who can get free school meals? Children in households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), and foster, homeless, migrant, and runaway children can get free school meals without reporting household income. Alternatively, children can get free school meals if their household income is within the maximum income shown for their household size on the instructions. To apply for free school meals, please complete the Application for Educational Benefits form.

Common Questions

I get WIC or Medical Assistance. Can my children qualify? Children in households participating in WIC or Medical Assistance do not automatically qualify. Children may be eligible depending on other household financial information. Please fill out an application.

Who should I include as household members? Include yourself and all other people living in the household, related or not (such as grandparents, other relatives, or friends).

May I apply if someone in my household is not a U.S. citizen? Yes. You or your children do not have to be U.S. citizens for your children to complete an application.

What if my income is not always the same? List the amount that you normally get. If you normally get overtime, include it, but not if you get overtime only sometimes. For seasonal work, write in the total annual income.

Will the income information or case number I give be checked? It may be. We may also ask you to send written proof.

How will the information be kept? Information you provide on the form, and your child’s approval, will be protected as private data. For more information see the back page of the Application for Educational Benefits.

If I don’t qualify now, may I apply later? Yes. Please complete an application at any time if your income goes down, your household size goes up, or you start getting SNAP, MFIP or FDPIR benefits.

Please provide the information requested about children’s racial identity and ethnicity, which helps to make sure we are fully serving our community. This information is not required for approval.

If you have other questions or need help, call 952-988-4060.

How to Complete the Application

Complete the Application for Educational Benefits form for school year 2022-23 if any of the following applies to your household:

Any household member currently participates in the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) or
The household includes one or more foster children (a welfare agency or court has legal responsibility for the child) or
The total income of household members is within the guidelines shown below (gross earnings before deductions, not takehome pay). Do not include as income: foster care payments, federal education benefits, MFIP payments, or value of assistance received from SNAP, WIC, or FDPIR. Military: Do not include combat pay or assistance from the Military Privatized Housing Initiative. The income guidelines are effective from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.

Household size	$ Per Year	$ Per Month	$ Twice Per Month	$ Per Two Weeks	$ Per Week
1	25,142	2,096	1,048	967	484
2	33,874	2,823	1,412	1,303	652
3	42,606	3,551	1,776	1,639	820
4	51,338	4,279	2,140	1,975	988
5	60,070	5,006	2,503	2,311	1,156
6	68,802	5,734	2,867	2,647	1,324
7	77,534	6,462	3,231	2,983	1,492
8	86,266	7,189	3,595	3,318	1,659
Add for each additional person	8,732	728	364	336	168

Step 1: Children

List all infants and children in the household, their school and grade if applicable, and birthdate. Attach an additional page if needed to list all children. Check the box if a child is in foster care (a welfare agency or court has legal responsibility for the child).

Step 2: Case Number

If any household member currently participates in SNAP, MFIP or FDPIR, write in the case number and then go to Step 4. If you do not participate in any of these programs, leave Step 2 blank and continue on to Step 3.

Step 3: Adult and Child Incomes / Last 4 Digits of Social Security Number

Social Security Number/Total Household Members. An adult household member must provide the last four digits of their Social Security number or check the box if they do not have a Social Security number. Report the total number of household members and ensure all household members are listed individually on the application in the child or adult section as applicable.
Child Income. If any children in the household have regular income, such as SSI or part-time jobs, list the total amount of regular incomes received by all children, and check the box for the frequency: weekly, bi-weekly, twice a month, or monthly. Do not include occasional earnings like babysitting or lawn mowing.
Adult income. Report the names of adult household members and income earned in this section.
- List all adults living in the household not listed in Step 1, whether related or not, such as grandparents, relatives, or friends.
- Gross Earnings from Work. This is usually the money received from working at jobs where a paycheck is received. For each income, check the box to show how often the income is received: weekly, bi-weekly, twice per month, or monthly.
- List gross incomes before deductions, not take-home pay. Do not list an hourly wage rate. For adults with no income to report, enter a ‘0’ or leave the section blank. For seasonal work, write in the total annual income.
- Are you Self-Employed or a Farmer? List the net income per month or year after business expenses. Do not list the same income twice on the application. A loss from farm or self-employment must be listed as 0 income and does not reduce other income.
- Any Other Gross Income. List gross incomes before deductions from all other sources, such as SSI, unemployment, child support, public assistance, social security, rental income or annuities.

Step 4: Signature and Contact Information

An adult household member must sign the form. If you do not want your information to be shared with Minnesota Health Care Programs, check the “Don’t share” box in Step 4.

Optional: Waiver of Confidentiality

To save you time and effort, your student(s) lunch eligibility status may be shared with other district staff for the purpose of financial aid assistance for which your children may qualify. We must have permission to share your information. By marking the permission to share boxes you allow your student(s) name and eligibility to be shared with those departments.

You should know...

If you are earning at or below current Income Eligibility Guidelines, we encourage you to contact us at 952-988-4060 or your school to fill out a school meal application.
If you are receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, your child automatically qualifies for free school meals. Please contact us at 952-988-4060 to determine if you need to fill out an application.
If you have questions about your Infinite Campus Parent Portal accounts, or are having trouble logging in, please contact the Hopkins Schools Help Desk, 952-988-4111. Support is available from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Click here to log in to your Parent Portal account.
Applications for meal benefits can be submitted anytime during the school year. Families may qualify for free meals if the total household income is within eligibility guidelines, or if the child receives MFIP or food stamps. Children living in foster homes and students whose families have been temporarily displaced and are living with friends or relatives may also qualify.
If you are eligible for unemployment compensation, you might also be eligible for free or reduced price school meals.
You must apply for meal benefits every school year.
The Application for Education Benefits form is also the form you need to complete to apply for District scholarships for field trips and athletics.
The form is quick and easy to complete and is available at all Hopkins Public Schools, at the District Office at 1001 Highway 7, or by download. All information is confidential. Have questions? You can contact our Student Account Manager at 952-988-5303.

Refunds and Transfers

Nutrition Resources

Hopkins Public Schools is at the forefront of school nutrition, offering students and staff quality, healthy meals each and every day. We believe that food must fuel our brain and help build strong, healthy bodies. In order to do that, we focus on whole foods — whole foods that come from local farms via our Farm-to-School program and from our school gardens.

The kitchens at all of our schools use high-quality, fresh ingredients to ensure each meal not only tastes good but is also good for the body. Whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, never-frozen meats, and calcium-rich milk are always on the menu. Did you know that our skilled chefs make nearly every meal from scratch? At the elementary and junior high schools, over 75 percent of the meals are made from scratch ingredients, and over 90 percent at the high school. Our scratch food is easier on the digestive system and contains far less chemicals, sodium, and preservatives than processed foods.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal and, where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)

If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov.

Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities and wish to file either an EEO or program complaint please contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136 (in Spanish).

Persons with disabilities who wish to file a program complaint, please see information above on how to contact us by mail directly or by email. If you require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) please contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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