12-11-23 Vendor Update

Prairie Farms, our local supplier for milk, has informed us that they have a growing issue with carton shortages. To maintain our ability to serve milk, beginning the week of December 11 and into the New Year, students and the individuals we serve in our senior nutrition programs will see a generic milk label (not Prairie Farms) for all 1% white and chocolate milk.

While they work to resolve this issue, districts are being advised to stock shelf stable milk. We will be stocking at least a 1-day supply to ensure that we have milk on-hand January 3, when students return from winter break.

We continue to work with MDE and our vendors to stay informed and to maintain our high-quality nutrition standards. We are hopeful that this issue will be resolved quickly.

2023/24 School Nutrition Services Information

We are pleased to inform you that we will be participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) as part of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.

The GREAT NEWS is that ALL students enrolled at Manistee Area Public Schools can receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at NO CHARGE to your household each day.

As we start this program for the 23/24 school year, we ask that each household complete a Household Information Report found online at: https://manisteeps.familyportal.cloud. Click "Apply for benefits" to get started. This report only takes five minutes to fill out and must be completed by each household in our District. Paper copies are available upon request. We also ask that you pay any lunch balance due from the prior school year. The CEP Program cannot be in place with overdue balances remaining.

In addition, the Household Information Report is critical in determining the amount of money that our school receives from a variety of State and Federal supplemental programs like Title I A, At-risk (31a), Title II A, E-Rate, etc. These supplemental programs have the potential to offer supports and services for our students including, but not limited to:

• Instructional support (staff, supplies & materials, etc.)
• Non-instructional services (counseling, social work, health services, etc.)
• Professional Learning for staff
• Parent and Community engagement supplies and activities
• Technology

We are asking that you please complete and submit the Household Information Report as soon as possible to ensure that additional funding for our school is available to meet the needs of our students. All information on the report submitted is confidential. Without your assistance in completing and returning the report, our school cannot maximize the use of available State and Federal funds. If we can be of any further assistance, please contact us.

Sincerely,

Keri Carlson Nutrition Services Director

Your Nutrition Services Team

Location: 525 Twelfth Street, Manistee, MI 49660 | Map
Telephone: 231-723-9285
Fax: 231-398-2021
School Office Hours: M-F: 7:30am – 4pm

Nutrition Services Team

Keri Carlson – Food Service Director – kcarlson@manistee.org

Stacy Applegarth – Food Service – bapplegarth@manistee.org

Melissa Gutowski – Food Service – mgutowski@manistee.org

Terri Morski – Meals on Wheels – tmorski@manistee.org

Richard Koon – Satellite Nutrition Delivery Driver – rkoon@manistee.org

Linda Wandrych – Food Service – lwandrych@manistee.org