PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – Broccoli, and carrots, and pears! Oh, my!
Children at Pine Street Elementary School are now receiving healthy snacks twice a week thanks to a USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) grant.
“To qualify for the program, a school has to have more than 50 percent of its students participating in the Free and Reduced School Lunch program,” said Kathy Allen, SAD 1 food services director. “Pine Street is at about 58 percent.
“The total grant is $18,852,” she said, “which averages out to about $51 per child. Regardless of their lunch status, each child in pre-K to grade 2 will be offered a healthy morning snack. Trays will be delivered by Food Services to designated areas in the school, and when it’s break time, the teacher will go get the tray and take it back to the classroom, open it and serve the snacks.”
It is not mandatory that children try the healthy snack.
As stipulated in the program, the snacks must be fresh fruits and vegetables.
“We’re going to feature seasonal foods which at this time of year would include apples, broccoli and pears,” said Allen, noting that teachers will be mindful of any allergies students may have. “In the winter, we’re going to offer strawberries and other berries just to break up the monotony.”
“We’ll be featuring common fruits and vegetables that some students are familiar with, but we hope to be able to feature some exotic or new things like star fruit, guavas, blood oranges, mangoes, and persimmons to bring exposure to the kids,” said Holly Johnson, school health coordinator. “However, it will all depend on availability and cost.”
The program will use locally grown foods, when possible, and will continue for the entire school year.
“We’ll use the SAD 1 Educational Farm and area growers where we can,” said Johnson, “but it will be more difficult to purchase foods locally in the winter.”
Snacks will typically be given on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“There is a possibility that the program will be increased to three days each week later in the school year, depending upon funding,” said Allen.
The goal of the program is to:
• Create healthier school environments by providing healthier food choices.
• Expand the variety of fruits and vegetables children experience.
• Increase children’s fruit and vegetable consumption.
• Make a difference in children’s diets to impact their present and future health.
“By showing the kids different fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Allen, “we’re helping the lunch line, too. If it’s the first time a child sees that particular food item, they tend to steer away from it; however, if they’ve already been introduced to it, the more apt they are to try it.”
“More and more we’re seeing students not having snacks provided, so this is a way for all students to receive the same snack,” Johnson said. “We’re very excited to have been selected to receive the grant, and I’m sure we’ll apply again next year.”
To promote the healthy snack program, teachers will be providing nutrition education activities within the classroom to increase the students’ knowledge of the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables.
“I will provide the teachers with handouts and websites where they can get facts, history and interesting tidbits about the fruit or vegetable that we’re serving,” said Johnson. “It will all be tied in together.”
Updates on the program will be included in school newsletters and on the district’s website – www.sad1.org – throughout the school year.
The schedule for the remainder of the month will be apples Sept. 23, blackberries Sept. 28 and carrots Sept. 30.
For more information on the healthy snack program, contact Allen at 764-0792.
