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California Thursdays
Join us in celebrating
California Food
for California Kids!
Thursdays district wide our students are served healthy, freshly prepared meals made with California sourced ingredients.
Learn more about this effort to serve California food to California kids here
Now accepting applications for the 2026-27 school year
Complete your application online in the privacy of your home. All information provided is confidential and-by law- can not be shared. (Quickest option)
Click rocket scan image to open the application portal.
Complete the Preserve School Funding & Family Benefit application (formerly known as the meal application form). These applications provide the data necessary for our school district to access proper funding.
View press release here.
Even though we are serving all meals for free, your completed application may qualify your family for additional services in our community.
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- Discounted /free internet
- Discounted PG&E
- Waived fees for PSAT & SAT testing
- P-EBT and EBT benefits
- SUN-bucks summer EBT cards
Paper application: Please review pricing sheet, complete application and sign consent form.
Deliver to your school cafeteria or bring directly to the food services office at Delaveaga Elementary.
English: welcome letter, pricing sheet, application, consent form
Spanish: carta de bienvenida, hoja de precios, solicitud, formulario de consentimiento
Program Recognition
Recognized by the California Department of Education for our participation in farm-2-summer month in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Recognized by the USDA for as an "outstanding summer meal program." We earned a "Turnip the beet" certificate in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025
Awarded the CDFA Farm to School Incubator grant, to develop our "plant-to-plate meets farm-to-school" mission!
America's Healthiest Schools Award-- 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Local Foods for Santa Cruz Students
Smit Farms: Apples from Linden, Ca
Know your Farmer, Conoce Al Granjero
Opal Creek: Sungold tomatoes and lunchbox peppers from Santa Cruz, Ca
Santa Cruz Farmers Market: Fruits grown by our local markets farmer vendors
Induchucuiti Organic Farm: Organic vegetables grown in Salinas, Ca
Know Your Farmer, Conoce Al Granjero
Check back as we add new partnerships.
Plant-to-Plate markets are planned by food services, with the support of SCCS teachers, students and our local farm partners. The goal of these events is to educate our students about local foods and FS partners. This project is funded by the CDFA farm to school grant. Watch the video to see how popular these experiential markets have been with our High School students.
Starting in the 2022-2023, the Santa Cruz City Schools food and nutrition department has committed to reinvigorating our harvest of the month program. Students are offered seasonal and locally sourced produce in every cafeteria, all year. Our goal is to provide all students the opportunity to connect the foods they see in their cafeteria space with their own health, as well as the health of their families, community, and environment.
Surf City Cafes and Life Lab
We are happy to be in partnership with Life Lab! Our students see a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in their school cafeteria. Thanks to life lab garden educators, many students see the same fruits and veggies growing in their school gardens.
Learn more about Life Lab here
Our Mission
At Surf City Cafes, we believe every student deserves a healthy meal and a welcoming
place to enjoy it.
We nourish student success by serving nutritious, delicious meals that students look
forward to eating and families can trust. Every meal meets rigorous USDA nutrition
standards to support growing bodies, healthy minds, and academic achievement.
We are committed to exceptional customer service, equitable access to high-quality
meals, and responsible stewardship through local and sustainable purchasing whenever
possible. We partner with our schools to promote nutrition education and encourage lifelong
healthy eating habits.
Above all, we create welcoming dining experiences that support our students,
strengthen our schools, and earn the confidence of our families and community.
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What We Stand For
- We are committed to meeting and exceeding the standards of California Wellness policy and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
- We prepare foods with no trans fats or high fructose corn syrup and seek to minimize saturated fats, sugar, Sodium and fatty foods whenever possible.
- We NEVER fry food.
- We search for foods with the least amount of additives, sweeteners, salts, sugars, colors and preservatives.
- We buy as much locally grown produce as possible, shopping within the seasons to provide quality and value as well as a wide variety of foods.
- We pride ourselves on nutrition education.
- We are partnering with our community organizations as well as our own staff to continue to teach students and parents alike about the importance and value of choosing local, fresh seasonal foods and eating a variety of fruits and vegetables.
- We are committed to minimizing our environmental impact by using local vendors and farmers and thus promoting the local economy and socially just business practices.
- We use only natural, Green biodegradable cleaning products and recyclable or biodegradable products wherever possible.
- We are committed to all of this while providing value in the choices we offer, and we are mindful of waste and efficiency so as to meet or exceed to our fiscal responsibilities.
Limited English Proficiency Statement
Language Assistance Services
In accordance with federal law and U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations, our program ensures that no person is discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or limited English proficiency.
Free language assistance services are available for individuals with limited English proficiency. If you need information in another language or require oral or written translation services, please contact Deedee Brewer at 831-429-3850 or email [email protected]
We are committed to ensuring meaningful access to all programs, services, and activities for students and families, regardless of English language ability.
Notice: The California Revenue and Taxation Code (RTC) Section 19853(b) requires local educational agencies (LEA) that operate the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) to annually notify households about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Information Act.
Earned Income Tax Credit Information Act Communication
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