Copperas Cove ISD promotes National School Lunch Week

By KRISTEN CORTEZ 

Special to Leader-Press 

In the 2019-2020 school year, the Copperas Cove ISD Child Nutrition Department will serve nearly 800,000 lunches to students. That does not count breakfast and summer feeding program meals that are also served to students. In the 2018-2019 school year, the total to number of school meals served last year climbed to 1,134,783.

To celebrate National School Lunch Week, the CCISD Child Nutrition Department held its kickoff event at Martin Walker Elementary with a Taste of Texas Tour. Students visited tables where they were shown different produce items grown in Texas. Students received a passport with pictures and information about each product. They also learned how each item is grown and how they may look when they see them in the grocery stores. The items were showcased on CCISD’s cafeteria menu each day this past week.

CCISD Child Nutrition Director Melissa Bryan said CCISD is dedicated to the health and well-being of children attending Copperas Cove schools by providing healthy meals that are in compliance with Texas Department of Agriculture and USDA regulations.

“School lunches are healthier than ever, with more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and less fat and sodium,” Bryan said. “We are also working on incorporating more locally Texas grown produce into the menu and making sure that we purchase locally to help support our Texas Farmers. Also by purchasing more local Texas produce, it assures us that the produce we are receiving are some of the freshest that our students can enjoy.”

Bryan serves as the 2019-2020 Texas School Nutrition Association President advocating on behalf of the state for both school nutrition staff and students at the national level.

“National School Lunch Week helps us educate parents and students about all the benefits of our lunch program and the appealing choices we offer,” Bryan said. “It is a time that we get to encourage kids to not only try some new items but learn about how they are grown in Texas. We encourage kids to make better choices by choosing fresh fruits and vegetables made fresh daily by the CCISD Child Nutrition Department staff located on each campus.”

According to the Food Research and Action Center, school lunch is critical to student health and well-being, especially for low-income students, and ensures that students have nutrition they need throughout the day to learn. Research shows that receiving free or reduced-price school lunches reduces food insecurity, obesity rates, and poor health. In addition, the new school meal nutrition standards are having a positive impact on student food selection and consumption, especially for fruits and vegetables.