All Orcas Island Elementary students will eat for free this school year, thanks to the state legislature.

The district qualified for House Bill 1238, which passed in 2023. The bill aims to provide meals for all elementary students, regardless of household income. It originally included middle and high school, but the legislature removed that stipulation from the bill.

“It’s great to be able to do it. We should be feeding all kids, k-12, for free. The fact that the state is taking on some of that burden is great,” said Food Service Director Madden Surbaugh.

The bill reads, “The legislature recognizes that adequate childhood nutrition is indispensable for proper intellectual, academic, and social development. However, many Washington families continue to face economic and other challenges that impact students’ ability to consistently access nutritional 13 meals that support their growth and well-being.”

OISD qualified for the 2024-25 school year because at least 30 percent and less than 40 percent of enrolled students meet federal eligibility requirements for free or reduced-price lunches.

While everyone eats for free, those who qualify for free and reduced lunch should complete the forms. Failure to do so will likely result in the district being removed from eligibility next year. For more information, visit https://sites.google.com/orcas.k12.wa.us/oisd-food-services/free-reduced.

“We just barely qualified this year, and we have to reapply next year. So, we are pushing for people to fill out applications. Not everyone has to apply, only those who might qualify,” Surbaugh said.

The public school’s lunch program is unique from many others in the state because it uses local produce and meat when possible and most of the food is made in-house from scratch. The district received a grant from the Washington State Department of Agriculture to buy lamb and beef from San Juan and Whatcom Counties.

The cafeteria staff — Surbaugh, Bing Mowry and Zach Holley — serve five meals daily: three separate breakfasts, a lunch service for the elementary and lunch for middle and high school. It equates to 275 breakfasts and lunches each per day. They offer a variety of food choices, a salad bar and have options like vegetarian day, Latin American day and a sushi bake.

“We try to do interesting things and balance that with things that kids like to eat, like burgers and hot dogs,” Surbaugh said.