This week, the Allen County School District---like thousands of school districts across the nation---is observing National School Lunch Week (NSLW) to promote the benefits of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
The National School Lunch Program started in 1946 as a federal child nutrition program designed to see that every child in school has access to a healthy lunch each school day. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy designated a week in October to promote the NSLP. The Allen County School District is among the 95 percent of all elementary and secondary schools in the nation which are enrolled in the NSLP program.
This year’s NSLW goals include promoting healthy menus and to increase lunch participation among students. In Allen County, students are given healthy choices for all breakfasts and lunches.
“Our menus meet every guideline that the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) requires us to meet,” explained Mary Hobdy, Food Service Director for the Allen County School District. “That includes meeting all the guidelines on Trans fats, grains, calories, etc. You name it, we meet it. We use a computer-based program called InTeam. You enter every item that you serve in the cafeterias. You enter the serving size and it will calculate everything and tell you if you are within all the guidelines.”
In terms of participation, Hobdy points out that more students are eating lunch this year particularly among fourth, fifth, and sixth graders.
“We are seeing an increased participation at the Intermediate Center this year,” Hobdy said. “We also have excellent participation at the Primary Center. Breakfast participation is up at both schools. At the middle school and high school, our participation is about the same this year. Most kids who ate last year are eating again this year in those schools.”
Hobdy is quick to credit the increased participation numbers at the Allen County Intermediate Center (ACIC) to the fact that ACIC is included in the Community Eligibly Provision (CEP)---a USDA program in which students in a CEP school can eat breakfast and lunch at no charge. In its May 19 session, the Allen County Board of Education voted to have the Intermediate Center and the Allen County Primary Center participate in the CEP program. CEP eligibility is based on “direct certification” rates among a given school’s student body; this refers to the number of students whose families are already receiving some form of public assistance, which automatically qualifies the children for free or reduced-price meal programs. As a result, more breakfasts and lunches are being served.
Hobdy hopes that the community will realize that feeding the children of the school district twice a day---a task that includes providing grab-and-go breakfast sacks for about 1,000 Primary Center students and preparing about 2,500 lunches across the district each school day---is a large task. Hobdy praises her 32 full time food service workers and six part-time workers who embrace the challenge every day.
“Our school district and our nation as a whole have the infrastructure to provide such wholesome breakfast and lunches to our students,” Hobdy said. “It’s take everyone; from the school buses that bring the kids to school to the cooks who prepare the meals to our office that makes sure all menus are certified. We have great employees. This is a week to celebrate.”
Parents are also reminded that lunch menus for each school may be viewed by visiting the Allen County School District website (http://www.allen.kyschools.us/) and clicking the lunch menu tab.