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Dawn Lewis, director of culinary services for Glynn County schools told local news Golden Isles that 20% of the menu items at their school are now locally sourced.
Working towards the Vision 2020 for School Nutrition Initiative, the school hopes to implement healthier local foods into the school’s menu, highlighting Georgia farmers and the school’s local campus garden.
At Oglethorpe Point Elementary School vegetables are being grown in the campus garden, like broccoli, carrots, and collard greens. All maintained by pre-k and kinder students and eaten as part of the curriculum.
The school is also using garden art to entice students to learn more about healthy foods, letting students paint or make art for the garden like painted rain barrels.
The teachers are excited about how kids are learning more about vegetables but hope to see the garden expand and provide more for the school’s cafeteria, that although buys local produce, still serves processed foods like french toast sticks, donuts, and pizza crunchers.
But educators and staff are hopeful, noticing that fewer sweets have shown up on the school’s menu.
“I’ve seen a lot more fruits and veggies, that’s for sure,” said Helene Denker, who supervises culinary services at Oglethorpe Point Elementary. “There’s a lot less sweets, now. We maybe have sweets on the menu once a week.”
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for every Latino neighborhood, compared to 3 for every non-Latino neighborhood
