Foxborough Schools Net $24K in Grants to Enhance Food Service Program

In her first year as Foxborough’s Food Service Director, Allison Johnson has made a tremendous effort to provide healthier options for students, promote wellness and bolster the district’s food program.

And now Johnson has added $24,657 through a series of grants she applied for last June to continue the growth of the program.

The money will be allocated to all five schools to enhance food service and continue the program’s development. The money secured through several New England & Dairy Council grants will be used for the following:

• Two smoothie blenders at the high school (already purchased and in use)

• 1.5 gallon blender for high school breakfast program

• Stand up refrigerators near registers to offer more options for students in serving line

• Blender and food processor at Ahern Middle School to increase fresh food preparation

• Food processor, blender and food prep tools for each elementary school

“Dairy Council has been very helpful to us this year,” Johnson said.

Schools also received money for physical activity programs and will receive the following equipment:

• Heart rate monitors for Ahern Middle School

• Pedometers for Igo and Taylor elementary schools

• Gymnastic equipment for Burrell Elementary School

Foxborough High School will be using its physical activity program funds to build a girls fitness center in the girls locker room that features mirrors and yoga equipment.

“Part of the girls locker room was knocked down and they turned it into a fitness center,” Johnson said. “We haven’t gotten any equipment in yet.”

Contributing to the food services account is money received through Healthier U.S. School Challenge awards won by Ahern Middle School, Igo, Taylor and Burrell elementary schools.

“We found out a few weeks ago all four schools did win the challenge,” Johnson said. “Two of the schools got bronze award and two got silver. The levels are mostly based on the average daily participation in the lunch program so to get the bronze award students had to have at least 50 percent participation in the lunch program. To get the silver award they had to have at least 60 percent.

“For the bronze award, schools got $500, which goes to our food services account and our silver schools got $1,000.”

Johnson said Foxborough High School didn’t participate in the program because the school didn’t have nutrition education in place as of last June – when the applications were submitted.

The Healthier School Challenge, according to Johnson, is a national recognition for schools.

“Recognizes excellence in nutrition education, physical education and food services,” Johnson said. “We had to talk about how much physical education we provide to each grade level and how much nutrition education [we provide]. We had to send in our menus for four weeks for each of the schools. That included production records, recipes, ingredient statements – everything about the food, everything we sell in the vending machines and in the school store. Everything had to meet specific criteria.”

And it did as the schools received recognition and financial reward.

“Very exciting,” Johnson said.

 What’s more exciting, according to Johnson, is the addition of salad bars at all five schools. Currently, only Foxborough High School offers students a salad bar. But through a Wholefoods grant, Johnson secured funds to install four salad bars at the remaining schools next year.

“Wholefoods Salad Bar grant was submitted in December 2012,” said Johnson. “They guaranteed us four salad bars, one for each of the schools that doesn’t have one yet. The other schools should have one by next fall. … I don’t know the exact date of when we will have them but they give them to us for free so we will take them.”

 Salad bars typically cost between $2,500 and $3,000 to install.

Johnson said she plans to apply for more grants in June and if approved, money will be received in September.

“We will apply to grants for all five schools in June and hopefully have $4,000 [for each school] by September.”

Smoothie Bar at Foxborough High a Hit

Johnson said the smoothie bar at Foxborough High School, installed from grant money issued by new England Dairy & Food Council, has been a huge hit amongst students.

“It’s been a very successful program at the high school,” said Johnson. “We are doing about 100 smoothies a day and about 30 at breakfast. A lot of those students are kids that haven’t gone to the lunch line before.”