Not every family that needs help with school meals qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. For the 2026-27 school year, an Arizona family of four generally must earn $61,050 or less annually to qualify for reduced-price meals based on income. Families just above that line can still find themselves squeezed by groceries, housing, transportation and other everyday expenses.
Cave Creek Unified School District’s Feed It Forward program offers another place to turn. Available through the district’s LINQ Connect school lunch portal, the program allows parents and community members to add an extra donation during checkout to help cover meals for students in need.
Shanon Quinn, R.D., child nutrition director for CCUSD, said the district has offered the program for several years and has been able to pass donations along to students who otherwise may not have been able to purchase lunch.
