Throughout October, Lebanon School District is marking its commitment to good nutrition by observing National School Lunch Week and National Farm to School Month.
The district held a special lunchtime event on Friday, Oct. 17, at Northwest Elementary School, and it was clear that the days of hot dogs, tater tots, and processed cheese sticks in school cafeterias are long gone.
Instead, grade schoolers enjoyed fruits, vegetables, and fresh food made on-site, while paying hardly any attention to reporters, faculty, public officials, and other assorted grownups milling about.
A special visitor was U.S. Department of Agriculture Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Deputy Under Secretary Cindy Long, who gave after-lunch remarks in the school’s courtyard on a sunny fall afternoon.
The school district works with food service company the Nutrition Group and Lancaster-based farm-to-school nutrition organization Smart Partners to provide healthy meals throughout the school year. All of the district’s roughly 5,300 students are eligible for free breakfast and lunch.
To receive federal reimbursements for meals they serve, school districts must offer food that meets strict federal nutrition standards centered around fruits, vegetables, low-fat or fat-free milk, whole grains, and lean protein.
Long told the assembled guests that “we have come a long way in the past few years thanks to the hard work of so many folks, but most importantly those who are working every day to put those meals together.”
Long noted that “school meals are not what some of us older folks might remember. They are chock full of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and they’re just getting better all the time.”
She also remarked that good childhood nutrition leads to healthy adults and lifelong benefits. “School meal programs started after World War II because the military expressed concern that there were too many recruits who couldn’t meet standards due to poor nutrition.”
“Now,” she noted, “our military leaders are concerned about obesity. We need to have a healthy next generation.”
Long emphasized that efforts by the federal government to cut red tape and complex procurement requirements are enabling school districts to work with local farmers and growers to put farm-to-school food, such as kiwi berries grown in Danville, on school children’s plates.
The theme of this year’s National School Lunch Week was “School Lunch Pirates – Find Your Treasure!” Northwest’s cafeteria staff happily joined in by dressing up as pirates.
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