Universal Free Meals Program Off to a Strong Start in Pittsford

Pittsford’s elementary schools are seeing an enthusiastic response to New York State’s new Universal Free Meals Program, which provides free breakfast and lunch to students, regardless of income. Launched in September after being signed into law by Governor Hochul in May, the program has already had a dramatic impact on student participation.

Pittsford Schools rolled out Universal Free Meals for its elementary students at the start of this school. In Pittsford’s K–5 schools alone, breakfast participation jumped from just 7 meals served on opening day last year to more than 700 this year, a 10,157% increase. Lunches nearly doubled on the first day of school, rising from just over 1,000 last year to more than 2,100, a 97.1% increase. Since that time, participation in school meals has continued to grow.

With the cumulative increase of students participating in the Universal Free Meals Program across New York State, some food vendors are working hard to keep up with demand. This can occasionally lead to last-minute menu substitutions. Families are encouraged to check Pittsford’s online meal menus daily for the most up-to-date offerings: pittsfordschools.org/departments/food-service/meals.

Despite the supply challenges, our meals have received a lot of positive feedback thus far, and Pittsford’s Food Services team remains focused on serving healthy, appealing meals to students each day.

Pittsford CSD will expand the Universal Free Meals Program to include middle school and high school students next school year. This will give the District the time it needs to renovate some of its cafeteria spaces and scale up equipment and staff necessary to meet increased demands for school meals at every grade level.