I’m going to embarrass my children by showing up at their school cafeteria on Wednesday, Nov. 19, to buy the school lunch. If you have kids in Portland Public Schools, please consider doing the same.
On that day, PPS will be serving their second Local Lunch, made entirely from ingredients grown in the area. Portland schools, along with the Gervais School District, received a year-long grant from Kaiser Permanente Community Foundation to increase the number of local food suppliers they buy from.
It’s all part of the state’s larger effort to get kids to eat more healthfully. In 2006, all school districts in the country that receive USDA funds were required to implement School Wellness Plans, stating how the schools will address the activity and nutritional needs of their students. By that time Portland, under the guidance of Nutrition Services Director Kristy Obbink, had already substantially improved the nutritional quality of school lunches. Fried foods had been eliminated from the menu, salad bars were introduced, and all baked goods were made with at least some whole grain flour.
In February of 2006, Obbink and her colleagues started Harvest of the Month, introducing students to foods such as beets, turnips and lemon cucumbers, all grown in or close to Portland.
Local Lunch, which will be served once a month throughout the 2008-09 school year, is the next step. The first meal served in October featured quesadillas made with Tillamook Cheese and Don Pancho Tortillas. November’s lunch will be oven-roasted Draper Valley Farms Natural Chicken.
In order to continue the program, Local Lunch needs your support. So make a lunch date with your kids on Nov. 19 – and bring along friends, co-workers, family members – anyone who thinks our children should have access to fresh, wholesome food. The cost is only $3.50 for an adult lunch – about what you’d pay for a Grande Gingerbread Latte at Starbucks…
For more information click here or call PPS Nutrition Services at 503-916-3399.
Posted by Anne

November 16th, 2008 | Category: Metro Parent