Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year!  Just like last year, you can count on me for updates on San Rafael’s efforts towards school lunch reform.  We’ll also chat about other food issues facing our students, including the largely ignored wellness policy at our schools.  As usual, I am all for transparency, and will openly share our challenges and success stories in the hope that we can inspire you to help your community make improvements of your own.  Tuck in your napkin and get ready to dive in…

New Walk-In Freezer

Construction Update:  Just like any major construction project, our district’s Central Kitchen Renovation isn’t finished on time.  Once they opened the 70 year-old walls, they discovered dry rot and mold, which took longer to repair than anticipated.  Thanks to the crummy economy, our renovation qualified for federal stimulus grant money, which was used to cover the costs of the new walk-in refrigerator and freezer.

Out with the old

The central kitchen is on the San Rafael High School campus and serves all of the K-12 schools in our school district.  Even though the project isn’t finished, they are open for business, serving simpler fare until the renovation is done.  It’s time for the style-conscious students to step forward – they will be involved in the purchasing decisions for the new digs.  Say goodbye to the old institutional-style tables and hello to bar-height tables and other contemporary furniture that will make the space more inviting.  An improved environment will encourage more students to stay on campus for meals.  (I suggested that another draw to the cafeteria could be performances by  student bands and stand-up comics!)

Other exciting news about our food service program:

• Hot Cheetos are gone from the middle school snack bars
• Say goodbye to chocolate milk!  (everywhere but the high school)
• The breakfast menu’s new items include: Organic Stonyfield Farms yogurt and carrot-zucchini bread
• No more prepared foods wrapped individually in plastic!  Hurray for bulk purchasing (it is cheaper and has less packaging!)

The salad bars have been delivered!  Every elementary school in our district, including Venetia Valley, a K-8 school, will be offering a salad / veggie bar as part of their reimbursable hot lunch program.  Starting mid-September, all of the students will be taken on a tour of the salad bars and will be invited to taste some of the fixin’s that will be available.  The trays will be filled with a combination of commodity items and fresh, seasonal, organic produce from our new vendor, Veritable Vegetable.  They have a sleek design with sneeze guards that lift up for easy loading.  Although our custodian mistook ours for a tanning bed, the whole staff is excited for our new addition, and several of them are looking forward to the day when they can participate in our lunch program instead of brown bagging it from home.

Hot Topic:  The School Wellness Policies in our schools are not being enforced, yet we are working so hard behind the scenes to bring our students healthier foods.  The students are getting mixed messages between what they are taught, the foods that are served as part of the lunch program, and the treats that are offered as incentives, rewards and at parties.  Although there is a suggested list of birthday party treats, parents frequently ignore it and opt for their child’s favorite foods.  Some parents have good intentions, but others have a blatant disregard for the rules.  One parent at our school even went so far as to bring a chocolate fountain for their child’s birthday celebration last year.   Each of our elementary schools needs to discuss these issues NOW, while people are still enthusiastic for a great school year:

1. Parents bringing in unhealthy treats for parties and birthdays
2. Teachers handing out processed foods as incentives and rewards
3. School endorsed ice cream parties as incentives for class participation or performance

More discussion on this topic to come…

Exciting Opportunity:  Interested in working in your school to teach the kids about nutrition?  Check out this fantastic two-day training that provides tools to support an increase of fruits and vegetables on school campuses through fun, interactive and skill-building activities.  If you are in Northern California, the training is on December 8 and 9 at the Marin County Office of Education.  For other California locations and to register, visit: http://www.healthyschoolenvironment.org/workshop-registration

Check out these other posts that document our school lunch reform efforts:

• http://whatscookingblog.com/2010/05/07/san-rafael-school-lunch-reform-real-change-is-happening/
• http://whatscookingblog.com/2010/04/14/school-lunch-reform-central-kitchen-renovation/
• http://whatscookingblog.com/2010/03/27/school-lunch-reform-2nd-meeting/
• http://whatscookingblog.com/2010/03/05/san-rafael-school-district-task-force-on-school-lunch-1/
• http://whatscookingblog.com/2010/02/11/changing-school-lunches-its-not-an-option/