With the lingering recession, the numbers of students needing free and reduced school lunches is on the rise. In Andover, families who seek the service can sign up and use it discretely.
Families can apply for free or reduced-price lunches online at lunchapp.com.
"It's very discrete that way. Years ago, you had to bring it in to your teacher and some parents didn't want to do that because then the principal, the front office people would know," said Gail Koutroubas, Andover food services director. "Sometimes people didn't want their children to know at that age."
All students, whether paying full price or getting assistance, give a personal identification number to the checkout person in the lunch line, so students do not see whether someone is receiving free or reduced lunch rates, she said.
"It's the same procedure for everyone. No one knows the difference," said Koutroubas. "If you need it, you should use it. You can use it for breakfast and lunch."
Income eligibility
What follows is how much a family can earn per year and still qualify for assistance with school meals.
Household size Free meals Reduced meals
1 person $14,079 $20,036
2 people $18,941 $26,955
3 people $23,803 $33,874
4 people $28,665 $40,793
5 people $33,527 $47,712
6 people $38,389 $54,631
7 people $43,251 $61,550
8 people $48,113 $68,469
For each additional family member, add $4,862 for free meals and $6,919 for reduced price meals.
Source: Andover food services
