Hot Lunch Program
Term 1 Ordering Closes In...
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Hot Lunch Program
Hot Lunch is one of Cleveland Elementary’s most successful fundraisers, giving families a break from making school lunches while supporting the school.
Hot Lunch is served every Tuesday (and select Thursdays of each month) starting in October. We work with a variety of vendors to keep the menu fresh and exciting, while also staying true to Cleveland’s Healthy Cleveland approach.
The program relies on parent volunteers to keep it running. It’s a great way to help out, meet other parents and even see your child at lunchtime.
Ordering
For the 2026–2027 school year, Hot Lunch is split into three terms, with a separate ordering opportunity for each. Ordering will be open for two weeks before each term.
View the Cleveland Hot Lunch 2026-2027 Calendar Here
- Term 1: October 13–December 1
- Ordering Available: September 21 at 9am – October 5 at 9 pm
- Term 2: January 5– April 1
- Ordering Available : December 11 at 9am – December 28 at 9pm
- Term 3: March 30–June 22
- Order Available: March 12 at 9am – March 29 at 9pm
Be sure to order within the provided window. Once ordering closes, it will not reopen for that term.
Get Hot Lunch Emails & Ordering Information
All Hot Lunch communications, including ordering information, are sent to parents through FreshSchools. Make sure you have a FreshSchools account so you don’t miss important updates and ordering dates.
How to sign up:
Signing up for Hot Lunch is easy. Ordering is done via the MunchaLunch website. Simply log in and choose which menu selections are right for you and your family. If you don’t have an account yet, you can create one.
Subsidy Program
With the success of the pilot in 2025/2026, we are continuing the subsidy program to provide equitable access to the school’s hot lunch program for every child, regardless of financial circumstances.
Volunteer
We rely on parent volunteers to help count and distribute the lunches. Each month parent volunteers from a different grade are assigned. Volunteer for Hot Lunch by logging in to FreshSchools. Don’t have a FreshSchools account? Register here.
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Grade 1 |
Kindergarten |
Grade 7 |
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Grade 6 |
Grade 5 |
Grade 4 |
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Grade 3 |
Grade 2 |
Open to Everyone! |
If a certain month has no volunteers, we may need to cancel hot lunch that month, so please step up. And don’t worry – someone will always be there to instruct new volunteers what to do!
Vendors
Exciting news! For 2026/2027, we have 9 vendors providing delicious and nutritious lunches for your children.
Returning favourites:
- Subway
- White Spot
- Fresh Slice
- One More Szechuan
- Cornella Fine Taco
- Aburi Market
- Frying Pan Express
- Cazba
NEW this year:
- Stuffies – offering cro-tais and stuffies. Find out more on their website
1. How does the Hot Lunch Program Work?
Hot lunch is a fundraising program brought to you by your Cleveland PAC (CPAC) and dedicated parent volunteers. We work with a selection of vendors to bring your child hot and cold lunches every Tuesday (and select Thursdays of each month). Menu items vary with each vendor, ranging in price from $4-$16. Please note that hot lunch is not provided on Pro-D Days, stat holidays, or over winter and spring breaks.
2. What happens on Hot Lunch Day?
On the day of Hot Lunch, the vendor delivers all the lunches in boxes (for cold items) and thermo bags (for hot items) at 12:15pm. Parent volunteers then unload and sort all the items into division bins. At around 12:40pm, the bins are delivered to the respective classrooms.
Cleveland is a very large school – over 500 students! Imagine all the hot lunch items that need to be unloaded and sorted to make it to the classrooms on time while hot items are still warm. This is why parent volunteers are essential to this program to ensure speed, accuracy, and quality!
3. What do I need to participate in the Hot Lunch Program?
First, make sure you have a FreshSchools account. This is a school-wide communication tool used by CPAC to send general Hot Lunch emails and notices to all parents. You will also use FreshSchools to sign up as Hot Lunch volunteer.
Second, once ordering is open, you will need to sign in to MunchaLunch. If you are new to Cleveland and don’t have an account, register here.
4. How does ordering work?
Ordering is open three times a year for two weeks:
- Mid-September – Place your orders for Term 1
- Mid-December – Place your orders for Term 2
- Mid-March – Place your orders for Term 3
It is important to remember to place your FULL order for each term, as ordering will not be reopened after the closing date.
5. How do I pay for Hot Lunch? Do I have to pay all at once?
Credit card payment is accepted on MunchaLunch. If you are unable to pay all at once, you can still submit your order, but please email our Treasurer to discuss payment plan/options ASAP. There is also a subsidy program available.
6. What are the dietary options?
We work with vendors to provide as many options as possible to suit the most common dietary needs. Most vendors offer vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.
7. What if I don’t like any of the menu options? Can I skip certain weeks, and place orders for the other weeks?
You can skip vendors or weeks as desired when placing your order for the term on MunchaLunch. Before submitting the final order, review fully to make sure you have placed the whole order correctly.
8. What if I order an item repeated over the term, and my child tried and didn’t like it? Can I change it to another item for next time?
Ordering will not be reopened once it’s closed for the term. Changes cannot be accommodated. We encourage you to try a variety of items from the same vendor. Use Term 1 to explore the options, and Terms 2 and 3 to order your child’s favourites. Limited exceptions will be made – Please email the Hot Lunch team to inquire: hotlunch@clevelandpac.com
9. I placed an order for my child, but he is out sick. Can I cancel the order last minute?
Orders cannot be cancelled without at least 2 weeks advance notice. If your child is sick on Hot Lunch day, his/her order will be distributed to the Cleveland staff. Alternatively you can make arrangements with the Hot Lunch On-Site Coordinator to pick up your child’s order. Please make arrangements via email at hotlunch@clevelandpac.com.
10. I placed an order for my child, but we will be away on vacation that week. Can I cancel the order?
Orders cannot be cancelled without at least 2 weeks advance notice. If you know your child will be away in advance, but you already placed an order that week, contact the Hot Lunch team at hotlunch@clevelandpac.com to cancel. Your MunchaLunch account will be credited with the balance, which you can use next term/order period.
11. How do I volunteer as a parent?
Parent volunteers are essential to keep the Hot Lunch Program running smoothly and on time! Each grade has been assigned a volunteer month, and parents are encouraged to sign up on FreshSchools for the month you are assigned: Go to Calendar, and select the event. There will be an open invitation if there are not enough volunteers for a specific month.
12. I’m not getting any emails about Hot Lunch. Why?
We provide news and updates about Hot Lunch via FreshSchools. If you are not receiving any emails about Hot Lunch, it is likely because you do not have a profile in FreshSchools, or your child is not assigned to a class. Confirm your email address is correct in FreshSchools, and your child has been assigned to his/her division.
13. I have questions about Hot Lunch. Who do I contact?
You can contact the Hot Lunch Program in one of 2 ways:
- Via FreshSchools. Tap on “Create a new…”, select “Message”. Tap the “To:” field, and search for “Hot Lunch”. Select the contact “Hot Lunch (Committee)”. Compose your message and send
- Via email to hotlunch@clevelandpac.com
We will do our best to reply within 48 hours.