Eat your fruits and veggies, students
During the coming school year, elementary students in Washington School District will again be served additional fresh fruits or vegetables three times a week through a U.S. Department of Agriculture program.
State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Carroll, announced the $52,267 grant for the healthy snacks that are accompanied by a required component, educational materials related to the food the pupils are consuming in classrooms.
Schools must develop a plan to establish partnerships to reduce other costs.
Gov. Tom Wolf noted schools cannot use Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program funding to purchase worksheets or materials used for nutrition education.
Funding priority is given to the schools with the highest rates of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals.
Washington School District contracts with Monteverde’s Produce of Crafton to encourage students to try new foods that they may not otherwise encounter, such as kiwi or sweet peppers of various colors.
A total of $5.5 million was awarded to elementary schools throughout Pennsylvania in the current round of funding.
Under a separate program through the USDA known as the Community Eligibility Provision, Washington School District will again be providing free breakfasts and lunches to all students during the 2019-20 school year. Those who remain after school for a host of activities also receive a free dinner once classes have concluded.
The meals are available in districts where more than 40 percent of students are identified as part of low-income households or are considered at risk for hunger.
Families, under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, no longer have to fill out applications to determine eligibility because the district exceeds the poverty threshold.
Enrollment in the district, which contracts with the Nutrition Group of West Newton for regular food service. is approximately 1,500.