Nutrition and Menus

The Union County Public Schools' School Nutrition Services Department is comprised of food and nutrition professionals that are ServSafe certified and dedicated to our students' health, well-being and their ability to learn. We support learning by promoting healthy lifelong nutrition and fitness practices and habits.

Meals, foods and beverages sold or served at schools meet state and federal requirements, which are based on the USDA Dietary Guidelines. We provide students with access to a variety of affordable and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students.

Menus

Please use the drop-down menu feature below to view your school’s menus.

Select a Site Group: Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools, etc.
Select a Site: Choose your school
Select a Menu: Breakfast or Lunch

Download the Web Menu App

The School Nutrition & Fitness Mobile "Web Menu" App is available in the App Stores. Hover over individual menu items for interactive allergen and nutrition information.

Popular Nutrition Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Check balance and add lunch money

Food allergies?

Free and Reduced Meal Application

Fill out a free and reduced meal application.

Signing up for the program is simple:

Make sure you have your student's ID number
Make sure you have income information for everyone in your household
Your session will timeout after 20 minutes of inactivity
If your session times out, you will need to use a different email address to create a new user ID and password to begin a new session
Your application is complete only when you electronically sign the application
Your application will be sent from the secure website directly to UCPS
You will receive a determination letter after your application has been processed

Note: Computers or laptops may be available at your child’s UCPS school front office for you to complete an online application. Please note that a limited number of paper applications will also be available at your child's school.

Your child is eligible for free meals through the USDA's Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program if they attend one of the following schools:

Elementary

Prospect Elementary
Sardis Elementary
Union Elementary
Rocky River Elementary
Marshville Elementary
Wingate Elementary
Rock Rest Elementary
Benton Heights Elementary
Walter Bickett Elementary
East Elementary
Walter Bickett Education Center

Middle and High

East Union Middle
Health Sciences Academy at Monroe Middle
Forest Hills High
Monroe High
South Providence
Wolfe School

Students at the above schools DO NOT have to fill out an application. However, if they have a sibling who attends a school that is not included in the CEP program, an application must be filled out for the sibling and should also include information about the student who attends any of the eight CEP schools listed above.

Paper Application

Free/Reduced Lunch applications are available at any school cafeteria or at the School Nutrition office

Use only one application per household. *
Turn the original application into any school cafeteria or the School Nutrition office.
Copies and/or faxes cannot be accepted. Incomplete applications will be returned.

Once the application has been processed, you will receive a notification letter stating your approval or denial status. If you qualify, you will begin receiving benefits once the school has been notified of your child’s eligibility. Any charges that your child makes before you receive notification of their eligibility will be your responsibility to pay. If you do not receive a letter showing your application has been processed, it is your responsibility to call the School Nutrition office. Please keep your approval letter for future reference.

If you have any questions or need any help in filling out the application, please contact School Nutrition Services at:

Phone: 704-296-3000.
Address: 407 N. Main Street, Suite 100, Monroe, NC 28112

*Only complete one application per family. The information you give will be used to determine or prove your child's eligibility for free or reduced-priced meals. This information may also be used for other state or federally funded school benefits.

Factors considered in the application process are the household size and total household income. HOUSEHOLD SIZE is considered all persons, related or unrelated, including parents, children, grandparents who live in your home and share living expenses. The TOTAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME is the income each household member received last month before taxes - this includes wages, social security, pension, unemployment, welfare, child support, alimony, and any other cash income.

Foster children are categorically eligible for free meal benefits. An application is not needed yet there does need to be documentation of status by a state or local entity familiar with the child's status. Foster children may be included in the household application as part of the household size.

What's my lunch number?

Is my student at a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school?

Your child is eligible for free meals through the USDA's Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program if they attend one of the following schools:

Elementary

Prospect Elementary
Sardis Elementary
Union Elementary
Rocky River Elementary
Marshville Elementary
Wingate Elementary
Rock Rest Elementary
Benton Heights Elementary
Walter Bickett Elementary
East Elementary
Walter Bickett Education Center

Middle and High

East Union Middle
Health Sciences Academy at Monroe Middle
Forest Hills High
Monroe High
South Providence
Wolfe School

Quick Links

Forms

Did You Know?

We have 30 elementary schools, 9 middle schools, and 11 high schools. During the school year, we serve close to 4 million meals, including after-school snacks. Our summer meal programs serve over 15,000 meals.
We are self-supporting. No financial support is currently received from local tax dollars to support our program. The majority of funds we receive are from our customers (students and adults) who eat with us and a small reimbursement from the federal government.
School meals are proven to support academic achievement, improve student health, and lower obesity rates. We offer whole-grain based items, scratch-cook many entrees, require fresh fruit and vegetables and analyze the nutrients of food items that are located on every cafeteria line.
We were one of the first school systems (over 20 years ago) in NC to partner with the NC Farm to School Program. This program allows our schools to provide students access to nutritious, high-quality, local food. It also creates a significant financial opportunity for local farmers, fishers, ranchers, food processors, and manufacturers.
17% of children in NC struggle with where their next meal will come from. Children consume more fruits and vegetables when they participate in the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program. This is because, under the National School Lunch Program, students have the opportunity to build their own plate from a variety of options.
The NC Department of Health and Human Services implements health inspections in UCPS cafeterias four times a year. The 2024-2025 school year resulted in an average health score of > 99 in our school cafeterias.

Breakfast and Lunch Program

We offer breakfast daily at all UCPS elementary, middle and high schools. The breakfast menu offers a variety of fruits, milk and whole-grain selections to help start the day right for our students. Grab-and-go breakfast in the classrooms is offered at some schools and a few of our schools participate in universal free breakfast.

**If your student is eligible for free or reduced lunch prices, they will also be able to receive a free breakfast each morning as well.

Our lunch program offers a wide variety of healthy menu options that meet all five meal components guidelines for students in grades K-12. The 5 components that make up a meal include meat/meat alternative, whole grain, vegetable, fruit and milk. Our meals correlate with Choose MyPlate, which identifies the building blocks for a healthy diet.

Both the breakfast and lunch menus are planned by our Nutrition Team which includes: Cafeteria Managers, Area Supervisors, Registered Dietitian, Chef, and School Nutrition Director.

Contact Us

School Nutrition Services Department

Denise Lamar, SNS (Director)

Wendy Sheprow (Assistant Director)

Mary Bone (Administrative Supervisor)

Simone Wilson (Clinical Dietitian / Marketing Specialist)

Mary Gourley (Supervisor)

John Hawthorne (Supervisor)

Valerie Davis (Supervisor)

Roshunda Tillman (Administrative Specialist / Free & Reduced Clerk)

Melinda Locklear (Accountant/Cost Analyst)

Michelle Golowski (Purchasing Clerk)

Kim Winchester (Invoice Clerk)

Nora Capote (IT Technician)

Sherri Klingensmith (Quality Control Manager)

Heather Perry (Quality Control Manager)

Cristian Velasquez (Quality Control Manager)

Kelly Croakman (Payroll/HR Specialist)

Non-Discrimination 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 also be obtained 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:

Mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
Fax: 833-256-1665 or 202-690-7442; or
Email: Program.Intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.