School meals given nutritional boost in Worcester
Students at Abby Kelley Foster Charter School in Worcester enjoyed a healthy school lunch at the end of January.
The meal was typical of schools: sloppy joe, beans, and broccoli, but instead of greasy meat and strange veggies, students enjoyed a ground beef tomato ragu on a whole wheat roll, broccoli cooked with garlic and parmesan, and beans in a spicy sauce.
The new menu was the result of a program funded by the state, which pairs professional chefs with school cooks to help them develop tastier and more nutritious meals. The chefs are part of Project Bread, a nonprofit organization that fights hunger.
Ellen Parker, the executive director of Project Bread, said the goal of the Chefs in Schools program is to serve children healthy food that they enjoy eating. Parker said the inspiration for the program came from Chef Alice Waters’ creation of a schoolyard garden in Berkeley, California. Waters used the garden to provide organic, healthy food to a local school, but Parker says there has been no concentrated effort to bring fresh, healthy foods to urban schools. Project Bread was created to fill that gap, with Massachusetts including $250,000 in its annual budget to fund the program.
Project Bread officials, working with the state, could create brochures that explain the program. They might make them available to schools to encourage their participation.
The meal was typical of schools: sloppy joe, beans, and broccoli, but instead of greasy meat and strange veggies, students enjoyed a ground beef tomato ragu on a whole wheat roll, broccoli cooked with garlic and parmesan, and beans in a spicy sauce.
The new menu was the result of a program funded by the state, which pairs professional chefs with school cooks to help them develop tastier and more nutritious meals. The chefs are part of Project Bread, a nonprofit organization that fights hunger.
Ellen Parker, the executive director of Project Bread, said the goal of the Chefs in Schools program is to serve children healthy food that they enjoy eating. Parker said the inspiration for the program came from Chef Alice Waters’ creation of a schoolyard garden in Berkeley, California. Waters used the garden to provide organic, healthy food to a local school, but Parker says there has been no concentrated effort to bring fresh, healthy foods to urban schools. Project Bread was created to fill that gap, with Massachusetts including $250,000 in its annual budget to fund the program.
Project Bread officials, working with the state, could create brochures that explain the program. They might make them available to schools to encourage their participation.