Food Service offices are located in Bedford High School, 8285 Jackman Rd, Temperance, MI 48182
DIRECTOR OF FOOD SERVICE & CHILD NUTRITION: Shelly Farris, Phone: 734-850-6127
FOOD SERVICE SECRETARY: Cassi Burkey, Phone: 734-850-6126
Our Mission is not only to feed all of Bedford Public School students, but to educate them about eating healthier. We strive to make meal time a pleasant experience for your child.
FOOD SERVICE IN OUR SCHOOLS
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Each elementary building offers breakfast and lunch. Breakfast is served when your child gets off the bus. In most buildings, students are allowed a little extra time for breakfast. At lunch time we offer your child a choice of two entrees, two vegetables, and fruit. We offer a variety of milk.
JUNIOR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL
There is a wide variety of menu options offered to the junior high and high school students. Both schools serve both breakfast and lunch.
All meal choices are available to any student on the National School Lunch and Breakfast free/reduced program.
2023 LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
September 2023
Dear Parent or Guardian of Bedford Public Schools,
We can’t wait to welcome students back to the cafeteria for the 2023-2024 school year! To kick off the new year, we wanted to share a few things you and your child can look forward to when it comes to mealtime, information on meal pricing and steps to apply for free and reduced-price meals, how we manage food allergies and the documentation needed, and an inside look at the new recipes, concepts, and programs we’ll be introducing this fall.
Food Kids Love to Eat
Chartwells’ team of chefs and dietitians are working to bring even more variety to our menus featuring new recipes with kid-approved foods. This year we are serving up:
- Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry
- Tortellini with Italian Meat Sauce
- Beef Brisket Tostada
The value of school lunch is top of mind as families continue to experience inflation and growing food costs at home. In addition to giving kids, the chance to try new foods and cut back on food waste, school lunch provides students with healthy, balanced, and safe meals at an affordable price, while saving families’ time and stress.
Universal Free Meals
For the upcoming 2023-24 school year, Michigan has authorized universal free meals for all students. This means students will have the opportunity to enjoy breakfast and lunch at no cost throughout the academic year. It is important to note that families should still complete a free and reduced-price meal application, which helps ensure ongoing state funding and can qualify your child’s school or community for other special programs like free summer meals. Parents or guardians can submit this application online at https://bedfordps.familyportal.cloud/ or in person at your child’s school office. This is a unique opportunity for everyone to eat together and will hopefully make it easier for students and families to confidently check breakfast and lunch off their list.
Food Allergies and Special Dietary Needs
We recognize the critical importance of our approach to supporting students and families who manage food allergy issues every day and work closely with the families of students who have food allergies and medical conditions that require a modification to their menu. Our approach involves coordination between parents and guardians, school nurses, school administrators, and food service professionals in the school’s/district’s food allergy and medical conditions protocol.
If you would like your child to receive meal accommodations for food allergies or a medical condition impacting the diet, please ensure that you submit the required documentation to your child's school. Please submit a Special Dietary Needs Form (May be found on district food
service web page) and that you receive confirmation from Shelly Farris, Food Service Director, [email protected] that documentation has been received and a modification plan is in place.
In order to modify the school meal, we must have a written Medical Statement on file signed by a licensed medical provider (physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner). The statement must identify the following:
- Information about the child’s impairment that is sufficient for understanding how it restricts the child’s diet,
- An explanation of what must be done to accommodate the child’s disability, and
- If appropriate, the food(s) to be omitted, texture modifications, and recommended substitutions.
For any children who are currently receiving meal accommodations, please contact Shelly Farris, 734-850-6127, [email protected] to review the meal accommodation plan, which may require additions or amendments based on the ongoing supply chain issues.
As part of our protocol, café managers review food labels for foods used to produce special meals daily. We may encounter situations where product substitutions are made that contain different allergens or have a different nutritional profile than our usual menu items. As a result, we may need to provide a meal that is different than previously identified for students with special dietary needs to ensure that the meal served to them remains in adherence to their needs as outlined in their medical forms.
While we have posted signs in the cafeteria encouraging students with food allergies or other dietary concerns to speak up, we encourage you to remind your child to be sure to check with the cafeteria manager regarding product substitutions that may not be reflected in the posted menu. We will make every attempt to update Nutrislice in real-time, but please do not solely rely on nutrition or allergen information on Nutrislice to accommodate allergies or medical conditions in the event of last-minute menu changes.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your student’s allergies or dietary needs, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Shelly Farris or Cassi Burkey. We are committed to providing safe meals for all students.
Programs that Encourage Fun and Discovery
Chartwells continues to inspire healthy eating habits and spark a culinary curiosity to last a lifetime through fun and engaging programs, including:
- Global Eats: Highlighting the unique ingredients and authentic flavors from cuisines around the world, Global Eats brings a world of flavors to the cafeteria. Our newest signature program takes students on a food exploration that celebrates cultural heritages, traveling through China, India, Italy, Mexico, and more.
- Discovery Kitchen: Designed to make nutrition education fun and entertaining, Chartwells chefs and dietitians have worked together to create curriculums that get kids cooking, trying new foods, and learning about what they’re eating. Each month has a different theme and activities will be adapted for the current meal programs.
- Mood Boost: This innovative program helps elementary and middle school students connect what they eat with how they feel. It features recipes and characters that focus on six moods: Smart, Happy, Confident, Alert, Strong and Calm.
- Student Choice: Giving middle and high school students a voice in deciding what food concepts are featured and new menu items that will be available, Student Choice brings the latest food trends to school menus.
Menus, Nutrition Facts, at Your Fingertips
Through Nutrislice, an innovative app, students, parents and faculty have access to school menus, including nutrition information, allergens and photos. Nutrislice can be downloaded for free from the App store (iOS) or Google Play (Android) and is available on desktop and mobile
devices. Menus are also available at https://bedford.nutrislice.com/.
Celebrating Our School Lunch Heroes
As kids advance from grade to grade with new classes and different teachers, the dedicated lunch ladies and men in the school cafeteria are often one of the few constants throughout the academic journey. Throughout the school year, these heroes of the cafeteria are dedicated to making mealtime a bright spot in a student’s day, ensuring kids throughout the Bedford community are served nourishing meals.
Through sharing our passion for great tasting food, instilling a desire for food discovery, and most importantly, providing nourishing meals, we're excited to continue serving up happy and healthy to your children in the year ahead.
We love hearing from parents, and your feedback is important to us. Please reach out to our team with any questions or comments. We’re looking forward to a great school year!
Thank you,
Shelly Farris, Director of Dining Services
[email protected]
Phone: 734.850.6127
CREATING A NEW ACCOUNT IN THE Family Portal
Families will need to create an account utilizing the following instructions:
1. Click the Register button to setup an account.
2. For the Username, enter the email address you used for SendMoneyToSchool.com.
3. Accept the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy.
4. Check your email for an activation link and click it.
5. Follow the instructions to complete setup.
There are also tutorials in the Family Portal if you want more information on using it.
SERVICE FEE NOTICE
If parents would like to make deposits online via credit card, there is a $2.95 service charge for every $100 deposited ($2.95 for $0-$100, an additional $2.95 for $100.01-$200, etc.). We also take cash and checks at the register for deposit with no additional fees.
MEAL ACCOUNT INFORMATION
Bedford Food Service has implemented a computerized system for students to use for food service purchases that offers the following advantages:
-
System allows for parental controls to be set on an individual basis.
-
Assures privacy of students participating in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program for free or reduced meals.
-
Students will use a PIN or Identification card to access their accounts. Student's PIN is their student numbers that they utilize for other services in the district such as media services and computer access.
You are able to view your student's account online, add money to their account, and apply for Free & Reduced School Meals. It not only helps speed up lines during meal service but allows you to track your student's spending. You will need your students PIN/Student number to set up and view account information and apply money. Tip: Set a low balance notification alert in your Profile settings!
Cash or check payments are still accepted and we encourage prepayments. Please place prepayments in an envelope marked with student's name and room/grade. Prepaying helps lines move more quickly and allows students more time to eat and socialize in the dining area!
Please call the Food Service Director, Shelly Farris, at 734-850-6127 or Food Service Secretary, Cassi Burkey, at 734-850-6126 if you have any questions about this process.
FREE & REDUCED PRICE SCHOOL MEALS
Bedford Public Schools participates in the USDA National School Lunch and Breakfast Program. Free or Reduced priced meals are available for those students/households that qualify. Benefits apply to both breakfast and lunch.
Please complete an application and submit for eligibility determination. Applications are available at all school building offices, or from the food service department, or can be printed using the link on the left. You can also apply online at: https://bedfordps.familyportal.cloud/.
A completed application must be received at the start of each school year for students to continue to receive meal benefits granted the previous school year. Applications are accepted at any point during the year. Applications may take up to 10 (ten) days to process. All information provided is confidential and is used only for determination of meal benefits and services available for the student. Free & reduced price meal transactions by the student at the point of purchase in the cafeteria are done in a manner that protects the privacy of the participants; fellow students and food service staff at the register would not be able to tell whether or not a student receives this benefit.
MOBILE FOOD PANTRIES
For a list of dates, locations and times, please use this link: Mobile Food Pantries in Monroe County.
NEGATIVE ACCOUNT BALANCE POLICY
Effective: January 2020
In an effort to control the debt incurred by the district through the breakfast and lunch programs, the BPS Food Service department will be implementing the following process for a la carte purchases. If a student has a negative account balance of more than $15, they will no longer be permitted to purchase a la carte items (i.e snacks such as chips, cookies, bottled beverages etc.) Please note that this is for a la carte items only, and does not change anything in regards to charging a meal. Students will never be denied a hot meal within our district.
In addition, free and reduced meal applications are always available throughout the school year should you need assistance from this program. Applications are available in your student's school office or you can apply online at https://bedfordps.familyportal.cloud/. Please reach out to the Food Service Department if you have any questions or concerns.
Meal Charging
Meal charging is designed to cover a situation in which parents forget to send or deposit money for breakfast or lunch. No alternate meals or ala carte items are allowed to be charged. Reminders of negative balances will be sent home with the student weekly, or parents/guardians will be notified via e-mail or phone by the Food Service office. Payment is expected within three days of receiving notification of the charge.
Bad Debt
Bedford Public Schools will ensure that all students receive a standard meal, including those students who do not have sufficient funds in their account or in hand to cover the cost of their full meal at the time of service. Students may not charge ala carte items, only a complete lunch. Debts incurred by the inability to collect meal payment from students will be pursued by the District in an effort to recover the debt incurred. The Superintendent is authorized to further define and implement meal charging and debt collection procedures. These procedures will provide consistent directions for families. Please note that negative balances carry over from year to year. We encourage families that find themselves in a situation where they are unable to pay for meals to apply for the Free and Reduced School Meal Program.
Medical Statement To Request Special Meals and/or Accommodations
A Special Dietary Needs Form is required by the USDA to be filled out if your child has any dietary restrictions. If you have any questions or concerns please contact food service department.
SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM
Summer meals are served during the summer at select locations and times in Monroe County for kids and teens. This is open to all children 18 and younger. There is no enrollment and no cost.
For information regarding Summer Food Service Programs, please visit the Michigan Department of Education Summer Food Service Program website.
MEAL PATTERN REQUIREMENTS
Lunch
Breakfast