BBPS wins USDA Silver Level award for summer meal program

BROKEN BOW - Broken Bow Public Schools has received high level honors from the United States Department of Agriculture for its exceptional summer meal program.

It is the first year Broken Bow Schools has been recognized with a “Turnip the Beet” award for its efforts, and it was one of two summer meal sponsors in the state of Nebraska to be recognized with a Silver Level honor.

Only 98 districts were recognized with Turnip the Beet awards nationwide. This award was created to showcase sponsors who are going above and beyond to ensure that children in their care are receiving high-quality meals that are both nutritious and appetizing.

Broken Bow Public Schools serve lunch only during its summer meal program, which is free for children ages 1-18. This program has high participation each summer. In the summer of 2022, team members served an average of 103 lunches per day.

Lunchtime Solutions has managed the district’s food service program for the past 24 years. Tammy Coyle, Vice President of Operations and Finance, said Lunchtime has been very fortunate to have school partners that participate in summer feeding recognized with Turnip the Beet awards each year.

“We are proud to have several more schools added to that list this year,” Coyle said. “These awards promote the tremendous amount of hard work and focus our teams devote to their outstanding summer programs. To Lunchtime, the best reward is knowing more children are eating. This recognition symbolizes the passion Lunchtime and Broken Bow schools share to fuel the minds of the future.”

According to the USDA’s awards announcement, winners showcased their excellence by serving a variety of vegetables and fruits throughout the week; serving whole grains and dairy products; and serving culturally-appropriate meals.

Food Service Director Ryndi Keezer said a majority of children who participate in Broken Bow’s summer meal program are attending the school’s summer care program or local daycare centers, but there are participants from the community, as well. Food is offered that appeals primarily to these elementary and middle school students, such as hot dogs and cheeseburgers, but there were also more adventurous offerings like chicken fajitas.

The unlimited fruit and veggie bar offered at each lunch contains at least four choices each day in a rainbow of colors, along with a hot vegetable. “Students are highly encouraged to take as many fruits and vegetables as they’d like and to come back for more servings,” Keezer said.

Another important award criteria was the use of student feedback to formulate menus. The food service team uses many years of knowledge and production records to serve items students like the best, Keezer said. “Our summer feeding kids are very vocal about what they love, so we always try to keep in mind what the kids tell us as they are coming through the line,” she said.

Summer meals are critical in the lives of millions of youth, whose risk for food insecurity increases during the summer months when they no longer have access to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program. Summer meal programs, including the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) within the NSLP, present the opportunity to help alleviate summertime food insecurity and positively impact children’s growth and development by offering nutritious meals and encouraging children to develop healthy habits at a young age. High quality summer meals help make sure children are healthy and ready to learn when they return to school in the fall.