A school district in Greene County is one of 12 rural districts in Ohio that received a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to improve its food services.
The money is part of a national effort to support rural and small districts to modernize and develop high quality nutrition programs.
Greeneview Local School District in Jamestown is one of the districts that received $150,000 from the USDA.
Some rural school districts face operational challenges, mostly because of their size and funding. With federal funding, schools could potentially purchase new kitchen equipment, hire or train full-time staff or improve their menu.
Kaydee Bayes, Greeneview’s meal service supervisor, said the district already offers healthy meals. With the money, they’ll set up a salad bar in all three of its school buildings.
She said what’s most significant is they’ll grow the leafy greens for the salad bars at the school with vertical hydroponic gardens.
“We can grow the greens all year round and the units themselves will be located in various classrooms. Research has shown that if they grow it, they eat it,” Bayes said. “So we're just looking to really get the kids on board and excited about what's going on in the lunch program here.”
The district plans to purchase four units and place them in classrooms for students to grow and learn about nutrition and health.
Bayes said she’d like to see an increase school meal participation.
“So many parents are so busy. They're getting something together quickly in the evening for the kids. And it may or may not be the healthiest option,” Bayes said. “Whereas with school meals, whether it's breakfast or lunch, the regulations that we fall under are really tailored to make the meals as healthiest as possible.”
The nationwide goal is to increase school meal participation and get kids to make healthier food choices.
Alejandro Figueroa is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Support for WYSO's reporting on food and food insecurity in the Miami Valley comes from the CareSource Foundation.
Copyright 2023 WYSO
