Please take advantage of the options to prepay your student's meal account. Prepaid meal accounts help the lunch lines go faster and give students more time to eat, relax and socialize. It also gives you the peace of mind of not having to worry about looking for lunch money every day or worry that it might get lost, stolen or used for things other than lunch.

Pre-Payments

MySchoolBucks is our online payment service. It provides a quick and easy way to add funds to your student’s meal account using a credit/debit card or electronic check for FREE. You can also check balances, view recent purchases and set up low balance alerts.

Enroll with MySchoolBucks

1. Register for a free account. A confirmation email will be sent to your email address.
2. Click on the link included in the email to activate your account
3. Log in and add your students by their name, student number, and school building.
4. Add funds to your account with a credit/debit card or electronic check. 

Please note money deposited into your account will typically arrive at the school the same day, but please note, deposits can take up to 12 hours to post. There is no convenience fee to make payments to your student's account. You will have the opportunity to review your payment (and cancel, if you choose) before you are charged.

Questions?

Contact MySchoolBucks directly at parentsupport@myschoolbucks.com or call 1-855-832-5226. Visit their FAQ page for help!

Cash or Check Payments

You can always bring money personally or send it with your student. Please place it in an envelope marked clearly with your student's name, their ID #, their teacher's name, the $ amount and the check #. Turn in prepaid deposits to the cafeteria cashier(s) or school office.

Understanding Lunch

Each day your child is offered a lunch containing a meat or meat alternative, grain, fruit, vegetable, and milk. While the most nutritious lunch contains all of these options, we understand that sometimes students do not like some of the items we serve. To make our student customers happy, we like to give them the option to decline the food they do not want to eat.

Making a Meal

Out of the five food groups your student is offered, they must choose at least three food groups for their meal. One of the food groups must be a fruit or vegetable. Some menu items may count as two food groups such as pizza, nachos, cheeseburger, or chef salad!

Example Menu

Cheeseburger on a Bun, ½ cup of carrots, ½ cup of french fries, ½ cup of peaches, and 8 oz. of milk. Of course they can take all five good groups but below are some example meal combinations. 

Example Combinations

• Cheeseburger on a bun, fries, peaches, and milk
• Cheeseburger on a bun, carrots, and milk
• Cheeseburger on a bun, carrots, peaches, and milk

Breakfast

Don’t forget about breakfast! Your child can join us each morning to kick off their day the right way. Breakfast choices are slightly different. Students must take at least three offered items at breakfast and one must be a fruit or a vegetable.

Free and reduced meals are available to families who believe they may qualify. There are two ways to apply for meals and other benefits. Apply online at the link below or fill out a paper application and return it to your child’s school front office.
 

Important Notes

• 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.
• TANF or Food Stamp recipients must include their ten-digit Case Number which begins with "1" and "0" or a "6" and "0".
• Factors considered in the application process are household size and total household income. Household size is considered all persons, related or unrelated, including parents, children or 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.
• If the application is missing information, it will be returned to you; this will delay the processing of your application and affect the eligibility status of your child.
• You will be notified by mail within 10 business days of your child's status.
• Until you receive notification of approval for benefits, you must provide your child with a lunch from home or send money with them in order to purchase a meal at school.

APPLY ONLINE FOR FREE AND REDUCED MEALS

MEALS APPLICATION

PARENT LETTER AND INSTRUCTIONS

MEALS APPLICATION (SPANISH)

PARENT LETTER AND INSTRUCTIONS (SPANISH)

2025-2026 INCOME ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES

High School - The W Cafe
Kim Deardorff, Head Cook
765-883-1444

Middle School - WMS Express
Melissa Steele, Head Cook
765-883-1443

Intermediate - Panther Pride Cafe
Christy Frazier, Head Cook
765-883-1442

Primary - Kids’ Cafe
Ele King, Head Cook
765-883-1441

Corporation
Jack Lazar, Food Service Director
765-883-1462
jlazar@western.k12.in.us

Jillian Darling, Food Service Secretary
765-883-5576 ext. 5000
​​​​​​​jdarling@western.k12.in.us

In accordance with federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

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 state or local agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint 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, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
2. Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
3. Email: program.intake@usda.gov

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

USDA NON-DISCRIMINATION POSTER

GENERAL CAFE INFORMATION AND CHARGING POLICY

WELLNESS POLICY