Food & Nutritional Services

Serving up high-quality, nutritious meals to students every day

Big Lake Schools partners with Chartwells Food Service to provide high-quality, nutritious meals to our students that comply with the National School Lunch Program.

Free Meals for Every Student: Established by state legislation passed in 2023, The Minnesota Free School Meals program provides one free breakfast and one free every for all students every school day. Note that this only applies to full meals. Extra charges apply for extra meals and ala carte items.

View Cafeteria Menus

Add Money to MySchoolBucks

Main Contact

Alyssa Wachsman
Chartwells Food Service Manager
763-262-7232
a.wachsman@biglakeschools.org

While meals are now free, filling out the application for educational benefits is as important as ever!

Your application can help supply crucial state funding for the school, and lead to numerous school-related cost discounts for your family. We encourage all families submit an application. Many families who doubt their eligibility end up qualifying!

Submit an Application or Learn More about Educational Benefits

Note: This institution is an equal opportunity provider (read the nondiscrimination statement).

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Meal Accounts & Prices

While meals are free, extra charges apply for à la carte items and extra meals:

Extra Breakfast Entree: $1.60
Extra Lunch Entree: $2.10
Ala Carte Items: Available at the middle school and high school, prices posted in the lunchroom

*Prices Updated 7/6/2026

Adding Money to A Meal Account

If parents anticipate that their children will be purchasing extras, they are encouraged to add funds to their child(ren)'s meal accounts in one of two ways:

Electronically through MySchoolBucks: Use your MySchoolBucks account to conveniently and securely add money to your student’s meal account online or with the mobile app. MySchoolBucks also allows you to set up automatic payments, view meal account transactions, check your student’s balance, and sign up for low balance alerts.
Cash or Check: Send it with your child or dropping it off at your child’s school. Make sure to include your child's name, PIN# and amount on the envelope or check. Please note, cash/check payments may take 1-2 days to be credited to meal accounts.

New to MySchoolBucks?

Get started with MySchoolBucks by following these three steps:

Go to myschoolbucks.com or download the mobile app.
Create your free account and add your student(s) using their school name / student ID.
Add funds using your credit or debit card, an electronic check, or set up automatic payments.

Free School Meals FAQs

Established by state legislation passed in 2023, The Minnesota Free School Meals program provides daily free meals for Minnesota students. This significant legislation aims to ensure that all students have access to nutritious meals by providing meal reimbursement to Minnesota districts.

Students automatically receive 1 free breakfast and 1 free lunch each day they attend school.
Additional charges apply for à la carte items and extra meals.
Students must attend in-person school to receive free meals.
Eligible families are still encouraged to submit the Application for Educational Benefits! Your child(ren) may qualify for other benefits like reduced fees at school, and it helps the district receive additional funding.

Who is eligible to receive free meals?

Does my child need to do anything to start receiving free meals?

What exactly will my child receive for free? What is/is not covered?

Should I still fill out the Application for Educational Benefits?

Will the free meals program be available during school breaks and holidays?

Will students still have a lunch account? How can students pay for extra items?

2026 Summer Food Service

Summer Food Service will be back for summer 2026. Free breakfasts and lunches will be served daily to all children 18 years old and under, no registration or forms required. Simply show up and eat!

If you have any questions, contact Alyssa Wachsman at 763-262-7232 or a.wachsman@biglakeschools.org

Details

Where:
- Independence Elementary STEM (701 Minnesota Avenue, Big Lake)
Dates/Days:
- June 2-Aug. 13 (Monday-Thursday only)
Meal Times:
- Breakfast: 7:30-8:45 a.m.
- Lunch: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

School Breakfast

Did you know that Big Lake Schools serves free breakfast every morning of every school day?

Students can choose delicious options like:

Whole grain entrées
Up to 2 fruit choices daily
Milk choice

Eating breakfast has been shown to lead to many benefits, like improved focus, academic performance, attendance, and behavior, setting students up for a successful day.

School breakfast is an easy and convenient way for students to get a head start on the day’s nutritional needs while enjoying healthy and tasty foods they love to eat!

Breakfast will typically start when the students arrive at school in the morning before class starts in each building. Simply stop in to the cafeteria.

%22Serving Up Delicious Breakfast%22 graphic with food images

Allergens & Dietary Needs

Special Dietary Needs:

If your student has any diet restrictions due to a disability, submit the Special Diet Statement form to the Food Service Manager.

Please Note: It may take several weeks to prepare an individualized meal plan with a completed special diet statement. Parents/Guardians are responsible to provide meals from home for their student until a completed meal plan is in place. The food service manager will contact the parent/guardian with the proposed completed meal plan and the anticipated start date, and then again with the actual start date.

Special Diet Statement Form

Allergies:

If your student has any allergies, make sure they are documented with the health office.

Allergy Zones:

Our elementary school cafeterias have an allergy-safe zone where students with a severe allergy can safely sit and enjoy their lunch. We encourage other students with nut-free lunches to join their friends at this table as well. Please contact your child's school for questions on where its allergy-safe zone is located.

Allergy Forms (Health Services)

Related School Policies

Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

(2) fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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