School Meals
Your child may be able to get free or reduced price breakfast and lunch at school. Eligibility is based on your income. If you get food stamps or Reach Up or are homeless, your child will be eligible for free school meals, but you still need to fill out an application. You can apply at any time during the school year. There is just one application for both breakfast and lunch. For more information, contact the food service director at your child's school. Click the following for an application (Adobe; get the Adobe reader here) for free or reduced price school meals.

Summer Food Service Program
Some towns in Vermont offer summer food programs that are open to the general public. Your child can participate in this program, and there is no cost to you. To find out if your town has a summer program, contact the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger toll free at (800) 908-5510.

Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
WIC provides food to women who are pregnant or had a baby within the past six months, women who are breastfeeding, and infants and children up to age 5. WIC brings food packages to your home, usually once a week. The packages may include milk, cheese, eggs, peanut butter, cereal and fruit juice. The value of the food items is about $40 or more. Eligibility for WIC is based on your income. For more information about WIC, call (800) 464-4343, extension 7333 (toll-free, from within Vermont) or (802) 863-7333 or click here to find out more about WIC.

Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)
This program provides food to people 60 and older, pregnant and postpartum women who do not get WIC benefits, and children from age 5 to 6. Eligibility is based on income. Food packages are delivered to sites around the state, and participants pick up their food package. For more information and an application, call (800) 214-4648. This is a free call.

Serve New England
Serve New England is a food buying program. Every month Serve participants can order frozen meats, vegetarian items, fresh fruits and vegetables, while saving about 30% off the retail price of these foods. Serve accepts food stamps to pay for food packages. Anyone who volunteers at least 2 hours per month anywhere in their community can participate. Volunteer service is "anything you do for someone else, outside of your immediate family, without pay," such as giving an elderly neighbor a ride to the doctor's office, helping out at your local food pantry, or watching a neighbor's kids while she works. For more information, check out Serve New England or call (888) 742-7363 toll–free. Serve New England or call (888) 742-7363 toll-free.

Eat for Health
If you're healthy and want to stay that way, do you know what to eat?

If you're living with a health condition and want to feel better, do you know what to eat?

Suggestions on what and how much to eat can be confusing, especially when you are hearing conflicting advice. Now there's a website sponsored by the Vermont Department of Health to help you find practical information you can trust on food and nutrition, healthy cooking, health eating and what makes a healthy diet.

http://vermonthealth.gov/eatforhealth