Dairy farmers support school nutrition
Our dairy farmers want what is best for students. Their passion for building community and helping Utah youth thrive is evidenced by their spirit of giving. Through Dairy West, dairy farmers have invested nearly $1.3 million dollars over the last five years into our schools to help increase school meal participation, while enhancing their programming, and nutritional offerings.
School meals provide our students with the proper nutrition necessary to support their growing bodies and minds. This includes servings from all five food groups. Children may consume as many as 10 meals a week at school, if participating in breakfast and lunch programs, making it essential for these meals to be both delicious and nutritious.
Deena Benson, who leads Dairy West’s school meals programming, has over 20 years of experience in school nutrition. Her passion for the health and wellbeing of children has guided her to a long-tenured career within the school system and now at Dairy West.
“Ensuring every child has the opportunity for healthy meals is so fulfilling. No child should have to worry about what’s for breakfast or lunch. They should be focused on learning. I’m proud to play a small role in ensuring the student experience with school meals is not only nutritious, but fun and exciting,” Benson said.
Legislation that went into effect May 2023 required all Utah schools participating in the National Lunch Program to also enroll in the School Breakfast Program. This allowed Dairy West to partner with school districts and provide the resources they needed through their Power Up Pack grants.
“The Power Up Pack grants gave the schools the equipment, marketing, and support necessary to expand their school meals programming while providing alternative serving options and the ability to add menu items kids wanted,” Benson added.
Dairy West, through the support of local dairy farmers, has invested over $248,000 into this programming, spanning 63 schools across 27 districts in Utah. These grants include everything from smoothie stations to on-the-go breakfast options, pizza serving carts, and even a hot chocolate bar.
Sebastian Varas, the Child Nutrition Director for Canyons School District, has worked with Dairy West on a variety of initiatives within his district. Without Dairy West’s support it would have been challenging for his schools to advance their school meal programming.
“Over the years, we have partnered with Dairy West on different projects. Dairy West always provides great support throughout the process to reach our goals. More importantly, they help our programs innovate to better meet our students’ needs. We have seen participation in school meals go up, increased customer satisfaction, and overall great acceptance of our menus and services. It was a simple and effective way to elevate our programming,” Varas said.
Tooele County School District child nutrition coordinator Barbara Memmott shared similar experiences. “School meals have changed over the years, and we need to keep up with the world we live in. Adding the smoothie station has been a lot of fun. Kids are excited for the chance to have a smoothie for breakfast,” she said.
Jennifer Jenson, a dairy farmer in the Bear Lake area, heard about the Power Up Pack grants and had to get involved. Her passion for her community meant she did not want her schools to miss out. She went out of her way to directly connect her school district with Dairy West. And she couldn’t be more pleased with the results.
“What a great addition to our school. The smoothies are always a hit and are gone before you can blink. Kids want good, nutritious food and are eager to get it when it’s available,” she said.
School meal participation is just a small focus the Power Up Pack grants hope to achieve. Dairy West wants to ensure every child in the public school system has access to delicious and nutritious food options by using innovative ideas that can support any school nutrition program in our state.
Outside of the Power Up Pack grants, Dairy West has provided resources to help train school nutrition staff, offering a Replenish Program for student athletes, partnering with Utah Farm to Fork to share the farm-to-school story, and providing students with tools they need to continue to live an active, and healthy life.
Dairy West will continue to look for ways to offer services to schools that will promote menu choices that students want. From food trucks to breakfast in the classroom, Dairy West and local dairy farmers aim to provide schools with creative solutions that will enhance their students’ school meals experience.
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