WOLFE HOT LUNCH PROGRAM 2023-24
June 2024 – Welcome to the General Wolfe Hot Lunch information page! We hope you are enjoying the recent changes to our Hot Lunch Program.
Our new vendor, Foodie Kids will offer hot lunches every Tuesday for the remainder of the school year. Please see below for more details about how to order and about our new food vendor.
Our current hot lunch vendor, C’est Mon Cafe, will continue to run every Monday and Friday in the 2023-2024 School Year. Ordering hot lunch for these days will continue the same. For more details on how to order from C’est Mon Cafe, please visit HERE.
We have started our PAC Lunch Program. Subway Day on Sports Day was a success! The kids loved it so much that we are going to do one more PAC Hot Lunch for this school year. On the last day of school, it will be Pizza Day – June 27! You can order the special pizza lunch now until June 21st. Please see below for more details about how to order.
We will continue to add new vendors and special fun lunches for next year. We will keep you posted. The PAC Lunches can’t happen without the support of volunteers. If you are interested in helping out, send us an email at wolfehotlunch@gmail.com.
If you haven’t done so, set up your MunchaLunch accounts! Otherwise, your best source of information for the hot lunch programs is by joining the PAC mailing list, as information and last-minute reminders will be distributed that way. See the subscription sign-up form HERE.
We have sent out our exit survey to get your hot lunch feedback. Please complete the survey by Friday, June 14 so that we can review the results and report back at the June PAC meeting. Your feedback will help to inform decisions for the 2024-25 Hot Lunch Program. Access the survey HERE. We want to hear your thoughts!
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
What is MunchaLunch? MunchaLunch is an online ordering system that our school will use as a platform to sell lunches for our hot lunch program and sell tickets or items for our fundraising events. MunchaLunch is not a lunch provider (ie, a caterer or restaurant) but a platform that allows us to sell the items we offer for purchase, process funds on credit cards and streamline our hot lunch program with easy-to-access reports and labels.
Highlights: Foodie Kids is a hot lunch catering company that prepares, packages and delivers hot lunches to a number of schools around Metro Vancouver. They will provide lunches to our school once a week on Tuesday. This company offers 15-20 entrees to choose from daily, plus 18 sides, desserts and drinks to add on. Gluten-free and Vegetarian options are available. Rotating theme days include Pasta Day, Kebabs Day, Mexican Day and Asian Day. Kid favourites such as sliders, pizza, lasagna, mac & cheese, chicken strips, and grilled cheese sandwiches are available each day as part of the “Always Available” menu.
Order Deadline: Please note that the order deadline is Wednesday night every week for lunches that fall in the following week. For example, place your order by Wednesday, May 8th at 11:59pm to participate in lunch on Tuesday, May 14th. See below to find out how to order.
Important to know: CUTLERY IS NOT PROVIDED, PLEASE SEND CUTLERY TO SCHOOL WITH YOUR CHILD(REN).
Food Images: Want to see what the food looks like? Scroll down to view some images from Foodie Kids.
Highlights: This parent/guardian-led hot lunch program runs on select event days. Volunteers are needed to make this program run successfully, please see the volunteer section for details on how to sign up.
Vendors: Subway, Pizza, Sushi/Japanese and White Spot are a few options we are researching, and they will run once a month throughout the school year. Our next PAC lunch will be on Thursday, June 27 – Pizza Day! The order deadline is Friday, June 21 for the last fun lunch of the school year.
We are looking for new vendors to check out, so please reach out if you have one to share or suggest. See below to find out how to order.
Volunteer: Our PAC lunch program can only run if we have parent volunteers to help out. An average hot lunch takes about 4-6 volunteers, and shifts last around 45 minutes. If you can help occasionally, please send us an email at wolfehotlunch@gmail.com.
Important to know: CUTLERY IS NOT PROVIDED, PLEASE SEND CUTLERY TO SCHOOL WITH YOUR CHILD(REN).
Order Deadline: Typically 4-8 days in advance, depending on the vendor.
HOW TO ORDER
Ordering is now live on MunchaLunch for all Tuesday Hot Lunch dates and any scheduled PAC Hot Lunch dates. To order your lunches, you will need to create an account with the MunchaLunch Ordering System. Participation in the program is completely optional. For those that do participate, thank you for supporting these programs which contribute to our fundraising goals each year.
- Click the “Register Here” button. The system will guide you through registration.
- After adding your children, click the green “Order Lunch!” button to order.
- Next time, just click the “Login Here” button to access your account.
Your best source of information for the hot lunch programs is by joining the PAC mailing list as information, new dates added, and last-minute reminders will be distributed this way.
The Hot Lunch Coordinators can answer most inquiries you have about your orders or your account, and those questions should be directed to wolfehotlunch@gmail.com, not MunchaLunch’s support team.
IMAGES FROM OUR VENDORS
FOODIE KIDS
HOT LUNCH FINANCIAL SUPPORT
The General Wolfe Elementary PAC has created a fund, accessible to families facing financial hardships, to grant every child in our school the opportunity to participate in our Hot Lunch Programs. We believe that every child should have the opportunity to participate in this program, should the desire be there, regardless of financial situation.
If your family would benefit from this program, we encourage you to take advantage of it. Please contact the school principal sdent@vsb.bc.ca and she can help with details and connection to support.
If you’d like to contribute to the fund, please see the Hot Lunch FAQs below.
HOT LUNCH FAQs
Are the Hot Lunch Programs a fundraiser for the PAC?
Yes, our hot lunch program generates much-needed funds that the PAC relies on annually to help support many types of programs, purchases and needs the school, staff and students all benefit from. It’s important to know that these programs are completely optional and are offered as a service to the parent community while contributing to our fundraising goals. We are grateful to the many families that have supported and continue to support these programs.
Is financial assistance available?
If your family is experiencing financial hardships and your child is unable to participate in these programs, please reach out to the school office. The PAC has funds set aside for students to participate in these programs that might not otherwise be able to, free of charge. The office can give you details on how to take advantage of this program.
How can I contribute to the PAC Hot Lunch Financial Support?
When you order your hot lunches, a “SUBSIDY CONTRIBUTION” menu item under treats will be available for you to add to your order.
I placed an order. How do I know it went through? If I order a few months out, will I be reminded of the days I ordered?
If your order was placed and you followed the steps to pay for your order, you will receive an email confirmation with your order details. If, however, you placed the order and did not pay, after an hour elapses, your order will automatically be cancelled, and you will be sent an email notifying you of this, including a copy of your cancelled order. Regarding reminders of orders, MunchaLunch automatically sends you an email reminder the day before each lunch you have an active order. So go ahead and order for multiple weeks at one time.
Are cancellations and changes allowed if something comes up or my child wants to change something we ordered for them? What if my child is sick, and I ordered lunch?
Orders can be cancelled or changed up until the order cut-off date/time by logging into your account and going to “My Account” > “View My Orders” > and proceed to “Edit” the order in question. This process will allow you to put your items back into the cart, add or remove items as necessary and re-submit the order. If the new order costs more, a payment will be required to finalise the changes within an hour. If the new order costs less, the balance will remain on your account as a credit and will be automatically applied to your next order.
We, unfortunately, cannot change or cancel orders after the order deadline has passed as the order has then been submitted to the vendor, and the PAC has now paid for that item from your order. No refunds or credits are permitted after the order deadline passes. You are always welcome to come to the school to pick up your child’s lunch if they are absent due to illness.
I hear you say we should pay for multiple lunches in one transaction. What is this all about?
Everyone knows that credit cards charge fees to the vendor for the payment service they provide, and in this situation, the PAC is the vendor as we price items on MunchaLunch and sell them for a profit to support our fundraising goals. In addition to the 2.9% processing fee, we are also charged a $0.30 transaction fee, which is substantial when it’s charged on a small order.
Families can help us reduce these transaction fees by placing lunch orders for all of their children before proceeding to the payment page. The charge is triggered every time an order is paid for, not placed or submitted through MunchaLunch. Ordering for multiple weeks at a time also further reduces these fees, adding to our fundraising bottom line. This fee is currently added to the markup of all entrees we sell.
Why is the deadline to order so far in advance?
For our Tuesday Hot Lunch and PAC Lunches, Foodie Kids and local restaurants require 4-8 days notice to purchase their ingredients and prepare fresh meals for the volume of our hot lunches orders the following week.
I want to volunteer, but I am not available every week, should I bother?
Yes! Many of our volunteers join us more casually and do not help out every time. The process is easy to learn, and the commitment is usually less than an hour. We’d love to have you join us whenever you are available. We need volunteers to make these programs possible, and thank you in advance for your consideration. To sign up, please email us at wolfehotlunch@gmail.com to add yourself to our volunteer list.
What considerations are given when it comes to packaging of food for these programs and being environmentally responsible?
Packaging and waste are a big consideration when we are picking a vendor to supply lunch for our school. Foodie Kids has a great model with nearly all packaging compostable or recyclable. Lunches are also delivered to our school in reusable thermal bags separated by hot and cold and division. This is partly why this vendor doesn’t provide cutlery, and we ask families to send this from home.
I’m moving schools. How do I transfer my MunchaLunch account to our new school?
You can do this independently if you need to transfer to a new school. Please don’t contact the MunchaLunch support team for help, as you can do this task yourself by following this link: https://munchalunch.com/account (click ‘Transfer My Account’). If your family wishes to transfer schools in the middle of a school year, you can self-transfer by logging in to your account and going to – My Family > Transfer School.
I have children in 2 different schools that use MunchaLunch. Do I need to have 2 MunchaLunch accounts or can I order from one account for 2 schools?
If you need to add a school to your account, you can do this on your own. Please do not contact the MunchaLunch support team for assistance, as you can perform this task yourself by following this link: https://munchalunch.com/account (click ‘Add Second Account’).
I forgot my password. How do I recover it?
On the login page: https://munchalunch.com/login > click ‘Forgot Password’ > the system will send a password reset link.
How do I find out when new dates are added and available to order?
Your best source of information and current updates for the hot lunch program is by joining the PAC mailing list. Program information or changes, new dates being released and last-minute reminders will be distributed via the PAC Newsletters and emails. To subscribe to the PAC mailing list, fill out the form HERE.
CONTACT
Still have questions? Reach out to the Hot Lunch Coordinators at wolfehotlunch@gmail.com. We will do our best to help you out!
Helen, Claire & Sameena
(Hot Lunch Coordinators for the 2023-24 school year)