Thanks to a federal program, one Newton Elementary school will receive funding to provide extra snacks for students during the day.
Christy Croson, food service supervisor for the Newton Community School District reported to the board that her application for the 2017-2018 USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program had been accepted for Emerson Hough Elementary during Monday night’s regular board meeting.
The program, which is designed to provide children in participating schools with a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables is aimed at combating hunger while providing healthy options for students. Croson sent in applications for all four of Newton’s elementary schools, but only Emerson Hough received funding.
Croson said due to budget constraints in the program only schools with more than 60 percent of students receiving free or reduced price lunches were eligible. According to Croson, more than 70 percent of students at Emerson Hough received free or reduced price lunches last year. At the remaining three elementary schools in the district, Thomas Jefferson, Aurora Heights and Woodrow Wilson only half of student population currently receives free or reduced price lunches.
Newton School Board president Travis Padget said he was “disappointed” that only one elementary school was selected for the program this year, but he praised Croson efforts to secure funding for the program. Padget said making sure students have enough to eat would continue to be a priority for the board.
“Christy is fantastic about reaching out for these opportunities, she’s always looking out for the kid’s best interests,” Padget said.
The grant is administered in two phases, with an initial allocation of $510, which must be used by Sept. 30. The second phase allocation is for $12,300, which is intended to cover the remainder of the school year. Croson said grants operate on a “use it or lose it” system, which is why she’s careful to make sure all of the funds are spent every year.
The money is used for healthy snacks, primarily fresh fruits and vegetables, and Croson said the district is required to supply healthy options such as low fat ranch dip to meet the program’s criteria. The grant also covers labor costs associated with preparing the snacks, and last year Croson said the district used some of the funds to purchase a new fruit and vegetable slicer.
Snacks are distributed twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, between 1:15 and 1:30 p.m. Food service workers distribute the snacks to the classrooms, and Croson provides teachers with informational literature to give teachers the opportunity to teach children about the fruits and vegetables that make up the program.
The September menu for the program, which Croson provided to the board at Monday’s meeting includes broccoli and pepper strips and dip, grapes, clementines and carrot packages and apple slices to start off the school year.
“We try to provide fruits and vegetables that are in season, or maybe something that we don’t have on our regular lunch program,” Croson said. “We like to get fresh strawberries or grapes, the fruits are more popular with the kids.”
Entering the second year of the program, Croson said teachers have been enthusiastic about the snacks.
“I get a lot of feedback from teachers and the nurse at Emerson Hough, they’re really glad that we’ve got this program,” Croson said. “There are a lot of kids that are hungry at all of the schools, but especially at Emerson Hough, there are a lot of kids there that are hungry at home.”
Contact David Dolmage at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or ddolmage@newtondailynews.com