Nutrition Services

Robbinsdale Nutrition Services has partnered with Nutrislice to share school menus with families in an innovative way. Using our Nutrislice website, you can easily view the school menu for breakfast and lunch each day, along with a description and nutrient information for each food item.

See Your Schools Menu

This information is also available on a mobile app so users can get information when they need it, where they need it. 

School meals are a great value and a convenience for busy families, too! Current prices for 2020-21 school year are:

Elementary
Breakfast: $0
Lunch: $0
Free/Reduced: $0

Middle School (including FAIR School Crystal)
Breakfast: $0
Lunch: $0
Free/Reduced: $0

High School
Breakfast: $0
Lunch: $0
Free/Reduced: $0

School meals are on a prepaid system; no cash is accepted. Students will need funds in their accounts for meals, milk and ala carte purchases. Payments can be made one of the following ways:

1. Cash or check
   Send a check or cash to the school or district office in an envelope. Please put the student name and grade on the envelop
2. PayPams
   Add funds online or over the phone via PayPams, our account management system. Please note, there is a 4.6% fee transaction fee. Payments can be made from your checking account, PayPal, Master credit card or Discover credit card.
3. Bill Pay
   Set up bill pay through your banking facility and designate 'Robbinsdale Child Nutrition' as a payee. Include your students' name in the memo area.

For more information or help on payment options, please call the Nutrition Services department at 763-504-8050.

To see information on your student's meal account, families can log into PayPams online. You can view student balances; set low balance email notifications; view payment history (for payments made through the system); and view daily cafeteria purchases.

PayPams login or register

For more information, see district Administrative Procedure 534AP (also available in Spanish).

School meals offer students milk, fruit and vegetables, proteins and grains, and must meet strict limits on saturated fat and portion size. School lunches meet standards requiring:

• Age-appropriate calorie limits
• Larger servings of vegetables, including dark green, red/orange vegetables and legumes
• Fat-free or 1% milk
• More whole grains
• Less sodium

We know how important it is to encourage students to consume healthier options. We're always working to offer our students tastier and healthier choices. We have been working on some new and improved scratch recipes over the past year. We host student taste tests to get feedback directly from students and get them involved in the menu planning process. A daily entree salad will continue to be offered at the schools due to their success. Our school nutrition staff has found great ways to get students excited about healthy food choices and we'll continue to work on creative solutions to ensure healthy foods appeal to students.
 

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter 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

(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or

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

Families who have students with special dietary needs should contact the school nurse and Nutrition Services Manager at their school. Accommodations will be made whenever possible. Additionally, Robbinsdale Nutrition Services makes reasonable substitutions to meals on a case-by-case basis for students who are considered to have a disability which restricts their diet.

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), most physical and mental impairments will constitute a disability. The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 made important changes to the term disability to include any person with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, including major bodily functions. Major bodily functions include but are not limited to: functions of the immune system, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine and reproductive systems.

Robbinsdale Nutrition Services is not required to accommodate special dietary requests that do not constitute a disability, including requests related to religious or moral convictions or personal preference.

To request a special diet for your student,  the Special Diet Request form must be completed by a licensed physician, physician assistant or certified nurse practitioner. If asking for a food to be omitted and substituted, please make sure numbers 1, 2 and 3 are complete or we cannot accept the form.

Drop off or mail completed forms to the Education Service Center, Attn: Brie Smith, 4148 Winnetka Ave. N, New Hope, MN 55427. Forms can also be faxed to 763-504-8971, Attn: Brie Smith.
 

Milk Substitutions

MN State Statute 124D.114 requires schools to provide one of these alternatives for a student with lactose intolerance if the parent has requested an alternative, in writing:

• Lactose reduced milk, lactose free milk or soy milk meeting specific guidelines
• Milk fortified with lactase in liquid, tablet, granular, or other form
• Milk to which lactobacillus acidophilus has been added

Juice or water cannot replace milk in the National School Lunch Program. 

For more information, please see the Minnesota Department of Education's website. If you have any questions, please call our Nutrition Services Assistant Director, Brie Smith, at 763-504-8048.

Lactose-intolerant Students

A lactose-reduced milk; milk fortified with lactase in liquid, tablet, granules or other form; or milk to which lactabacillus acidophilus has been added must be provided for lactose-intolerant students upon written request of parent or guardian.

Please check service dates/times and locations with each organization listed below to verify accuracy of information listed.

Food Banks and Food Resources
Find your local food bank

NEAR Food Shelf
Serves residents of Northern Robbinsdale, Crystal, and New Hope
5209 W. Broadway Ave., Crystal, MN 55429
763-533-2836
Food Shelf and referrals

No Hassles Food Shelf for Youth
Cross of Glory Lutheran Church
5929 Brooklyn Blvd. Brooklyn Center, MN 55429
Open Wednesdays from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Youth Food Shelf ages 12- 21

PRISM
Serves residents of Golden Valley, Crystal, New Hope, Robbinsdale, Plymouth
730 Florida Ave. S., Golden Valley, MN 55426
763-529-1350
Food shelf, clothing and household items, financial assistance, job club

WIC: Women, Infants and Children
Various Locations
612-348-6100
Provides a grant for supplemental foods for eligible families with young children or infants

The Food Group
At this time, we are distributing only to residents of our site partners. If you need additional food resources, please call the Minnesota Food Help Line at 1-888-711-1151, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit www.hungersolutions.org

New Hope YMCA
7601 42nd Avenue North New Hope, MN 55427
763-535-4800
https://www.loavesandfishesmn.org/dining-sites/new-hope-ymca/
Families may pick up food from Noon – 1pm Monday through Friday. Families may choose a meal package for a family of four including a protein, vegetables and other fresh food. Also, lunch bags with a sandwich, snacks and fruit are available.

FARE FOR ALL
www.fareforall.org or 763-450-3880
Quality, affordable grocery packages, including meat and produce. Warehouse store in New Hope (8501 54th Ave N) is open every other Monday from 9:30am-7:00pm, accept cash, credit, debit, EBT cards. Open to everyone (No income requirement)

HUNGER SOLUTIONS/MINNESOTA FOOD HELPLINE
www.hungersolutions.org or 1-888-711-1151 or 651-486-9860
HelpLine Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm

CEAP
www.ceap.org or 763-566-9600
Provides food support, clothing and resource referrals. Call or check the website for hours. Serves residents in Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, East Champlin (East of Hwy 169)

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
651-431-4050
Helps Minnesotans with low incomes get the food they need for nutritious and well balanced meals. The program provides support to help stretch your household food budget. Income requirements apply.

Mobile App to Access Meals During School Closures
The Free Meals for Kids mobile App (Apple) (Android) will help kids and families in need find and access free meals at hundreds of schools and other sites across Minnesota.

Loaves & Fishes
https://www.loavesandfishesmn.org/dining-sites/
Phone: 612-377-9810