Moving toward local sourcing, home cooking
The Stevensville School District has implemented a Breakfast Before the Bell program in which all students in the district are served breakfast. The program is part of the USDA certified school nutrition program and gives students the option of purchasing a basic bagged breakfast or receiving the same breakfast if they qualify for the free-and-reduced-lunch program. The nutrition program allows time for students to eat during the school day. In the past, students had to arrive early to get breakfast which posed a problem for bus students and late arrivals. With the change, students can now eat at a planned time just as they currently do for school lunch.
Principal Jessica Shourd sees the program as highly beneficial to her K-3 students.
“By implementing breakfast after the bell in the primary school,” said Shourd, “we have seen a 77% increase in breakfast participation. This increases student attentiveness and participation in the classroom.”
Another new change for Stevensville School food service is the use of local beef. As part of a renewed commitment to more meals prepared on site, Food Service Supervisor Jenna Henning has been exploring the option of using local beef for several months and has secured an initial source for beef raised within the school district boundary. The beef must be processed by a USDA certified plant and Henning has been able to secure the services of a certified processing plant. While large food service companies have supplied beef to the school for years, Henning believes that the quality of the beef products will improve and the local sourcing will contribute to the local economy.
Henning has also been working to increase meals that are prepared on site instead of prepped and frozen for delivery by large companies such as Sysco and FSA. All meals must continue to meet nutritional requirements set by the USDA. However, Henning sees room for expanding options such as salads, home-made bread, soups, and main courses prepared on site with locally sourced items.
School board member Sarah Armijo was quick to support the efforts of Henning at the October school board meeting. Armijo stated, “I love the fact that our District is supporting this effort to improve the nutrition program while supporting local business.” Armijo indicated that she initially had “concerns with the food served but when she sat down with Henning and received an overview of the USDA meal requirements and the complexity of menus, she was amazed by the nutrition program and staff.”
Stevensville allows students to have several choices as long as the choices meet the USDA minimum requirements. The “offer” versus “serve” program hopefully cuts down on food waste as well.
“We are working to educate the students on healthy choices and our required meal content,” said Henning.
In the next few months, Henning and the food service staff will be expanding the salad bar to add more options and soup to the salad bar. In addition, K-3 students will be allowed to add salad to their meals. Other new options will include more homemade recipes, and fresh baked bread products from the school kitchen.
Superintendent Bob Moore sees these changes as a positive change for the students.
“For students to learn, they must first have their basic needs met,” said Dr. Moore. “If they are hungry or worried about their next meal, it is hard to concentration on the basics of learning.”
Moore said the District typically has a 47-50 percent free-and-reduced-lunch population which further indicates a need for a strong school nutrition program in the school district.