Webutuck District’s free and reduced lunch program benefits students and families

AMENIA — During Webutuck’s Board of Education meeting on Monday, Oct. 7, board members detailed the fiscal challenges of feeding students.

“The cafeteria fund and our school lunch program has really always ran into deficit,” Webutuck School Business Administrator Robert Farrier said. “Schools that generally are in the positive have a much more robust a la carte, where students are able to buy more things above their normal lunch. We don’t have that here.”

Webutuck follows the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, giving the district serving sizes, calorie count and nutritional guidelines to follow. The law also mandates that the student must select a fruit or vegetable to go with their meal, or the student must pay for each item on their tray. Milk is the drink provided in the nutritional guidelines, and can not be replaced with another drink the student prefers. However, they may purchase another drink if desired.

“Once we went to the free and reduced, where all students get free lunch and breakfast, it has helped our lunch program,” Farrier said. “We generally send $150,000 from the general fund to the cafeteria fund. We did that, and we probably didn’t need to send as much as we did, but we are starting to get to a point where we’re going to break even. Our goal is to keep building up the lunch program.”

Breakfast and lunch are served every day for free when students provide their assigned ID numbers and have filled out an economic survey for the school year. Snacks and a la carte items from the cafeteria are not included in the lunch program, and the student must have money in their account or with them to purchase those kinds of food.

“I know no one likes to have rising prices, but, you know, our food costs have gone up through the roof,” Farrier said. “Orange juice has tripled in price from the start of school. We don’t increase prices throughout the year, we just go with the flow.”

According to Feeding America, in 2018 the child food insecure population in Dutchess County was 8,050, which is about 14.1%. Nearly one in six children in the United States faced food insecurity in 2021, and currently 58% of New York state’s population is below the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) threshold.

“Our ultimate goal is to feed as many students,” said Farrier. “We don’t want them to go home hungry.”

Latest News

Congressional budget omits Millerton wastewater grants
North East Town Hall on Maple Avenue in the Village of Millerton.
Archive photo

MILLERTON — Town Supervisor Christopher Kennan had some bad news to share at a regular Town of North East Board meeting on Thursday, March 13 — $3.2 million in wastewater grants were dropped from the continuing resolution Congress was considering.

The next day, the Senate passed the stopgap measure to avert a government shutdown.

Keep ReadingShow less
Serino highlights Dutchess gains as officials press for EMS, funding solutions

In her March 11 address to county residents, the focus was on the fiscal health and wellbeing of Dutchess, but some officials felt county executive Sue Serino missed the mark by avoiding such topics as funding cuts and other concerns.

Photo Provided

HOPEWELL JUNCTION — On Tuesday, March 11, Republican county executive Sue Serino took to the stage at John Jay High School to deliver commentary on Dutchess in her State of the County address.

The evening began with a welcome by Wappingers Central School District superintendent Dwight Bonk and a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance led by Dutchess County sheriff Kirk Imperati. Ava Dvorak, a senior at John Jay, offered her rendition of the national anthem followed by an invocation from Reverend Dr. Edward L. Hunt of the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. The Evergreen Chapter of Sweet Adeline’s International performed “God Bless the USA (Proud to be an American)” with the Roy C. Ketcham High School Step Team closing out the pre-speech segment of the evening with their “Formation” demonstration.

Keep ReadingShow less
Northlight art show opens at Historical Society Gallery
One of a dozen artists participating in the Northlight Art Center’s 14th annual student exhibit is Cathleen Halloran, above, who paused for a photo by one of her several works on display. The opening reception at the Sharon Historical Society’s Gallery on Saturday, March 15, brought out a robust group of local art fans.
Leila Hawken

Fans of fine art filed into the Sharon Historical Society’s gallery on Saturday, March 15, for the opening reception of student works from the Northlight Art Center in Amenia, New York.

Northlight was founded in Sharon by Pieter Lefferts in 2010 and later moved to Amenia. This is the 14th year of the annual student exhibit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Century Boulevard redevelopment session focuses on parking options
Century Boulevard’s redevelopment will be partially funded through the Hudson River Green Community Planning Grants Program and the Northeast Dutchess Fund of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.
Photo by Nathan Miller

MILLERTON — Residents along with nearby neighbors of Century Boulevard received a second presentation of plans to redevelop the village thoroughfare.

Much of the meeting, held on Saturday, March 15 at the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex, focused on parking options that were presented by Brandee Nelson, a senior project manager for Tighe & Bond of Rhinebeck.

Keep ReadingShow less