District Marks School Lunch Week

To recognize the National School Lunch Program and the 30 million children it serves every day, McDonald County schools will recognize National School Lunch Week from Oct.9-13. The theme, “Recipes for Success,” is an opportunity to show the parents and community the value of the McDonald County Schools lunch program.

National School Lunch Week will emphasize the healthy foods that are offered daily at each McDonald County school. There will be special guests invited to serve lunch to the students throughout the school district as well as dress up days by the cafeteria staff members. The cafeteria staff are busy planning fun activities and treats for the students. They love to teach their students the value of eating healthy and making smart food choices.

“School lunches are healthier than ever, with more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and less fat and sodium,” said Janie Daugherty. “National School Lunch Week helps us education parents and students about all the benefits of our lunch program, and the appealing choices we offer.”

The week will start with Chedda-Toni as the first choice on the Monday lunch menu. Chedda-Toni is a freshly prepared dish with layers of pasta, pepperoni, mozzarella, and the cafeteria’s homemade meat sauce. It will be served with the cafeteria’s freshly baked OPAA! bread. The students will wrap up their meal with a variety of fresh and inviting choices on the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Bar. The students are allowed to choose the fruits and vegetables they like and want to eat and serve themselves. These bars are present on every campus.

This is just one of the many choices that are offered to the students this week. Check out each school;s entire menu at Mcdonaldr1.nutrislice.com or you can follow the ‘Breakfast & Lunch Menu’ link on the McDonald County School District’s website. That can be found at Mcdonaldr1.net.

The federally-funded National School Lunch Program provides nutritionally balanced, healthy meals to students every day. The program, which has been serving the nation’s children for over 60 years, requires school meals to meet federal nutrition standards like offering fruits and vegetables every day, serving whole grain-rich foods, and limiting fat, calories, and sodium.

The “Recipes for Success” campaign is made possible by the nonprofit School Nutrition Association. Parents and students can follow the fun using the hashtag #NSLW17. For more information on National School Lunch Week, visit https://schoolnutrition.org/nslw/.