Category: Nutrition

Check district’s menu certification and performance-based reimbursement

Maine currently has 109 districts whose menus have been certified, putting the state at a little over 50 percent complete. Performance-based certification not only ensures that your district is meeting the mandatory, new, healthier meal pattern, but also gives the district an additional six-cents per reimbursable lunch claimed. For some districts, this can mean thousands of additional dollars for the program each year.

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Submit application for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grants

The USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is a grant to provide fruits and vegetables to students during the school day, aside from breakfast and lunch times. Maine schools have until Friday, March 30, to request applications to apply for the program. This program is only for grades PreK-8.

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Participate in free webinars on Summer Food Service Program

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Office of Strategic Initiatives, Partnerships and Outreach is offering the public free, weekly webinars on the Summer Food Service Program. These webinars will review SFSP participation requirements, cover resources and available tools, and highlight successful programs and outreach practices from around the country. At the end of each webinar, FNS program experts will answer listeners’ questions. Listeners should contact the Maine DOE if they have additional questions.

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Grants available to implement farm-to-school nutrition programs

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 established the Farm to School Program in order to assist eligible entities, through grants and technical assistance, in implementing farm-to-school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools.

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Join statewide effort to end summer hunger

The Maine Department of Education’s Child Nutrition Services team encourages community members to help prevent food insecurity and hunger among Maine’s children by becoming 2013 Summer Food Service Program sponsors. Managers, recreation departments, librarians, school superintendents, food pantries, summer residential camps, private non-profit organizations—anyone interested in helping to solve hunger at the local level is invited to participate.

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Madison Elem. earns nutrition award

Madison Elementary School staff and students receive the HealthierUS School Challenge Bronze Award.
Madison Elementary School earns the HealthierUS School Challenge Bronze Award.

RSU 59 received a HealthierUS School Challenge Bronze Award at Madison Elementary School, with students and parents in attendance. HUSSC is a voluntary certification initiative established in 2004 to recognize those schools participating in the National School Lunch Program that have created healthier school environments through promotion of nutrition and physical activity. Fewer than 4 percent of schools nationally have achieved the award.

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Piscataquis schools earn Healthier US School Challenge awards

Piscataquis Community Elementary School earns the Healthier U.S. School Challenge award.
Piscataquis Community Elementary School earns the Healthier U.S. School Challenge award.

A Healthier US School Challenge award ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 24, at Greenville Consolidated School, representing School Union 60. Former Nickerson Elementary School and Greenville Middle/High School both achieved the Bronze level award. Stephanie Stambach from Maine DOE will be presenting the awards.

Two Healthier US School Challenge award ceremonies are being held on Friday, Jan. 25, at Piscataquis Community Elementary School and Piscataquis Community Secondary School, representing RSU 80/MSAD 4. Both schools achieved the Bronze level award.

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