Kudos to all the frontline, essential school nutrition professionals across the Commonwealth working tirelessly to feed students and their communities with nutritious and delicious foods! Here are a few stories to share from the local and national spotlight.
In the Mastering the Meal Kit article from the October edition of SNA Magazine, Waltham School Nutrition was one of three districts highlighted for their work to transform the challenges of curbside service into an exciting new opportunity. The Waltham School Nutrition program offers curbside family meal kits providing students with foods they really enjoy eating, while incorporating cost-saving USDA foods. This approach has helped to reduce food waste and provide nutritious fun meals to families all over Waltham.
North Attleborough Public School Nutrition program was highlighted along with other districts in the Sun Chronicle’s October article:Behind the scenes: The staff ensuring school stays open and safe. The North Attleborough School Nutrition team recognizes the importance of maintaining food access throughout the pandemic. Like many other school districts across the state, they participated in the USDA’s Farm to Families Food Box program, which recently ended on October 30, 2020, and supplied boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products and meat products to families, in addition to other food and meal options.
In October, the Salem News highlighted two north shore school nutrition programs, Salem Public Schools’ Food & Nutrition Services and Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School in their article, From Farm to School: Program links growers with local lunchrooms. The Massachusetts Farm to School program connects schools with local farms to purchasing fresh produce. This is a “win-win” and a great way to assure a fresh variety of fruits of vegetables to students while also supporting the local economy.
In September, the Boston Globe highlighted the Bridge Boston Charter School’s unique take on curbside meals. Three days a week, Bridge Boston Charter school food service team uses a food truck to deliver meals and fresh local produce to Boston neighborhoods. This service has been able to cut down on time and cost for families who have had to adjust during remote learning. Families receive five days’ worth of breakfast, lunches, and snacks. Majority of the cooking is scratch cooking and there is a focus on providing nutritious meals to kids that would have been receiving nutrients from their meals at school.
