Elementary schools get funds for fresh fruit, veggie snacks

Several elementary schools in Chester County were among 266 elementary schools that will receive $7 million in grant funding to provide students with fresh fruit and vegetable snacks during the school day.

The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.

Those schools are East Fallowfield Elementary, Caln Elementary, Kings Highway Elementary, Rainbow Elementary and Reeceville Elementary.

“Healthy foods are essential to children’s growth, learning, development, and well-being, and this funding will help more students access nutritious food while school is in session,” Gov. Tom Wolf said. “The fresh fruits and vegetables offered through these grants will help students establish healthy eating habits, grow stronger, and stay focused and engaged in the classroom.”

FFVP’s goals are to create healthier school environments by providing healthier food choices, expand the variety of fruits and vegetables students experience, increase fruit and vegetable consumption, and positively impact students’ present and future health. The program was implemented in Pennsylvania in 2004 and is now available in all 50 states.

Funding priority is given to schools with the highest rates of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals.

Grantees are required to spend most of their funding to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables and must develop a plan to establish partnerships to reduce other costs.

Schools are also required to provide nutrition education to students but cannot use FFVP funding to purchase nutrition education materials.

During his time in office, Wolf has prioritized combating hunger. In 2015 he established the Food Security Partnership, a group comprising the secretaries of the departments of Aging, Agriculture, Community and Economic Development, Education, Health, and Human Services; unveiled the commonwealth’s food security plan — Setting the Table: A Blueprint for a Hunger-free PA in 2016; and introduced the Governor’s School Breakfast Initiative in 2017.

Earlier this summer, the Wolf administration also announced the PA HungerFree Campus initiative to help students at risk of hunger to access free, healthy food on college campuses across Pennsylvania.