Access To Healthy Foods Coalition awards Shaw for Innovative school program providing fresh fruit and vegetables  to students

Cashmere, WA – It wasn’t long ago that students were not allowed to eat during class.  Eating was reserved for lunchtime only.

Times have changed.

Access To Healthy Foods Coalition (Access) awarded Spokane’s Shaw Middle School (Shaw) with a certificate of appreciation on November 29, in recognition of the school’s innovative in-classroom fruit and vegetable program designed to increase students’ access to and consumption of healthy foods.

The certificate was awarded to Shaw during lunchtime, with students watching, while Access chair, Karen Bonaudi of the Washington State Potato Commission, presented the certificate to principal Christine Lynch and Douglas R. Wordell, RD, nutrition services director for Spokane public schools.

“Shaw Middle School is an example of how Washington school systems can address health issues by providing students with access to healthier foods during the day. Shaw created a multifaceted model for other institutions and districts to follow,” explained Bonaudi.  “We’re happy to present Shaw with this award.”

Shaw was one of only 25 schools in Washington recently awarded a USDA Child Nutrition Services grant to provide students with free fresh fruit and vegetables during the school day. This year, Shaw students will be offered fresh fruits in their home base class, where they start the day, and access to a free fresh fruit and vegetables cart during lunch.  The goal of the program is to positively impact the health of the students and help create a life-long love of fruits and vegetables. Access believes that when healthy options are available, students will incorporate them into their daily food choices. 

“The first day, they emptied the cart,” said Shaw principal Christine Lynch, noting that the school spends about $340 per day on fresh produce. “Students have been thanking us for pursuing the grant,” Lynch said. “They say, ‘This is so cool.’”
Student teams work with Shaw nutrition services to stock and deliver fresh bowls of seasonal fruit to morning home base classrooms, with enough fruit for every student.  The bowls of fruit remain in the classroom, providing healthy snacks to students later in the day.  In addition, vegetable platters are delivered to classrooms in the afternoon one day each week.

During lunchtimes, the nutrition services kitchen team provides a free fruit and vegetable bar, with organic options, for all students, whether they bring a lunch from home or purchase it from the school.

Shaw also developed a partnership with Inland Northwest Culinary Academy at Spokane Community College for three instructors to select a motivated 6th quarter culinary student to present an interactive food demonstration emphasizing fresh fruits and vegetables.

Shaw students in the leadership class (a class designed to develop leadership skills) will plan and facilitate a Fruit and Vegetable Day designed to enable student-to-student communications about eating healthy.  And the ASAP Food Sense student group will develop strategies to promote fruits and vegetable to students, as well.

Rick Roening, president of the Green Bluff Growers Association, is coordinating educational materials that share the background of each of the fruit and vegetables available at school. Students also will be offered an opportunity to participate in a field trip to pick fresh produce and learn about careers in local agriculture.

A community or school garden is planned to help educate students about growing and harvesting fresh produce, and to teach them to appreciate where their food comes from.

To learn more about Access and current projects, visit www.accesstohealthyfoods.org.

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Access To Healthy Foods Coalition, a 501(c)(3), is a group of businesses, industries, government agencies and non-profit organizations working together to positively influence health and nutrition in Washington state by improving access to healthy foods where we live, learn, work and play. Access increases the availability of healthy foods by changing the environment where food is available and by working with policy makers to promote change. Information is available from www.accesstohealthyfoods.org or email info@accesstohealthyfoods.org.

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