Purchasing School Meals
Purchasing School Meals
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Purchasing Student Meals
PPS students are eligible to receive one complete breakfast and one complete lunch per school day. Lunch comes with a choice of an entrée, unlimited fruits and vegetables and milk.
Families will be sent balance notifications for additional lunches and milk not covered by the benefit. To pay for the charges, families have the following payment options:
- Bring cash or check (payable to Portland Public Schools) to the PPS Nutrition Services Department at the district office. Please call 503.916.3399 in advance to verify someone can receive the payment in person.
- Mail a check to the district office. PPS Nutrition Services, 501 N Dixon St, Portland, OR 97227.
- Pay online using SchoolCafe at www.schoolcafe.com/pps or download the mobile app. Please note, there is a 5% fee and a $15 minimum payment.
- Setup online bill pay with your financial institution. Some may charge a fee for this service. Please check with your financial institution for more information.
Payment over the phone is not available.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS- Meals are free this year. Why was my student charged?
Second meals and additional milk are not allowed and charged at full price -- $6.00 Lunch, $.50 milk. - What if I am unable to pay?
Parents/guardians can choose the amount and frequency to make a payment until the balance is paid off. - Can my student(s) receive meals if the balance is unpaid?
Yes. Students can still receive one complete breakfast and one complete lunch per school day. - How can I monitor my student's purchases?
Parents/guardians can sign up for a SchoolCafe account at www.schoolcafe.com/pps or download the mobile app. The system is free to use unless you use it to make a payment, which is optional. - My student would like more food. What are the options?
Students who receive a complete meal are able to go back and get additional fruit and vegetables during lunch service. They can also take additional items found on the sharing table. Both options are at no cost to them. - How can I prevent future charges?
Work with your student(s) so they know not to get additional entrées or additional milk.
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Purchasing Adult or Visitor Meals
Visitors, adult staff and partners working at a Portland Public School can purchase school meals. An adult breakfast is $3.50 and lunch is $6.00. A lunch includes an entrée with unlimited fruits and vegetables and milk.
All active PPS staff have access and are automatically set up with an account to purchase school meals. If you are not an employee and would like an account, please contact our department or complete an adult staff meal account request form.
- When purchasing meals at an ES/K-8/MS school, please write your name and/or employee ID# on the cafeteria activity log. The meal will be charged to your account accordingly.
- When purchasing meals at a high school, you can either type in your employee ID# into the pinpad or you can write down your name on the cafeteria activity log (sheet on a clipboard).
Visitors with a student attending a PPS school will have their meal charged to the student's account.
All patrons must have funds in their account to make a purchase. With meals being free of charge this school year, Nutrition Services staff are unable to receive or process payments in the kitchen.
To prepay for meals or to pay off a balance, please choose from one of the following payment options:
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Bring cash or check (payable to Portland Public Schools) to PPS Nutrition Services at the District office.
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Mail a check to the district office. PPS Nutrition Services, 501 N Dixon St, Portland, OR 97227. The funds will be deposited into your account.
- Onine with a debit or credit card using a secure system, SchoolCafé. Please note: SchoolCafé charges a 5% fee per online transaction, with a minimum $15 payment. For assistance with creating a SchoolCafe account, pleaset contact Nutrition Services at 503.916.3247 or email nssupport@pps.net.
All balances will automatically roll over to the following school year. If you have a credit balance and would like to request a refund or donate it, please fill out the online request form.
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Adult / Visitor Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS QUESTION Yes No NOTES Can staff/visitors purchase multiple meals? ✔ Can staff/visitors purchase milk only or multiple milks? ✔ Can staff/visitors have just a piece of fruit/vegetable? ✘ A meal must be purchased which includes one entrée, unlimited fruits and vegetables and a milk Can staff/visitors have condiments (includes salad dressing) for meals purchased elsewhere? ✘ Condiments, including salad dressings, are only for meals purchased in the cafeteria Can staff/visitors have a utensil and/or plate for meals purchased elsewhere? ✘ A meal must be purchased to receive utensils, plates, condiments and meal components Can staff/visitors have items from the student sharing table? ✘ Sharing table items are for students only Can staff give sharing table items out to students during or after meal service? ✘ Students must have the opportunity to choose the item(s) themselves during meal service in the cafeteria Can staff/visitors have food items that will be thrown away after meal service is over? ✘ In addition to food safety concerns, all food acquired through the National School Breakfast (NSB) and Lunch (NSLP) programs must be accounted for -- giving away food without being purchased is considered theft. Staff/visitors can purchase a meal to receive one entree, unlimited fruits and vegetables and a milk -
Contact Information
- For general meal account related questions, please contact PPS Nutrition Services Support at nssupport@pps.net or call 503.916.3247.
- For SchoolCafé online transaction related questions, please contact SchoolCafé Support at 1.855.729.2328.
