Disclosure: This post is sponsored by the School Nutrition Association, a national, nonprofit professional organization representing more than 55,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country. Recognized as the authority on school nutrition, SNA has been advancing the availability, quality and acceptance of school nutrition programs as an integral part of education since 1946.
Do your kids buy lunch at school? If yes, they’ve probably already heard that this week (October 12 – 16, 2015) is National School Lunch Week (NSLW). What’s NSLW, you ask? This annual, weeklong celebration, first started in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy, raises awareness about the federal nutrition guidelines and initiatives in schools around the country. The goal? To help kids make healthier choices during lunch at school.
This year’s theme is “School Lunch Snapshot,” which encourages parents and kids to share real images of today’s school lunches on social media, using the hashtag, #NSLW.
In schools across the country today, kids have healthier options from which to choose. They’re also learning more about where their food comes from:
#farmtopreschool #localwatermelons #delawaregrown pic.twitter.com/eJOsnHRQbb
— Jason brown (@jasonbrownRD) September 11, 2015
My kids’ school district, Northeast Independent School District, here in San Antonio, participates in NSLW each year.
This week, in honor of NSLW, NEISD cafeterias hand out samples of locally farmed produce to students. Here’s a photo from my kids’ school, showing the apple samples given to all students in the cafeteria this week:
Schools across the District are featuring foods grown on farms and ranches in the great state of Texas, and are welcoming special guests to take part as cafeteria servers. District leadership, Board of Trustees, community members and even Speaker Joe Straus took part in the festivities.” – NEISD website
Recently, I spoke with local mom and blogger, Inga Cotton, with San Antonio Charter Moms, on the topic because I often see her posting about her kids’ school lunches on social media.
Healthy school lunches are really important to me…A few weeks after school started, my daughter asked me if she could start buying her lunch at school…There’s a protein-rich main dish, a fruit or veggie, and water or milk to drink. My daughter gets to exercise her independence and enjoy variety.
About once a month, I go to visit my kids at school during lunchtime. Not too often — I want it to be special. Last week, my father came along, too, and my daughter chose chicken bites and an apple for her lunch.” – Inga Cotton with SanAntonioCharterMoms.com
To learn more about healthy school lunches and National School Lunch Week, visit and like the Tray Talk Facebook page where you can ask questions, share your lunch photos, and enter contests this week to win $50 VISA gift cards!
And, if you’d like to be more involved with your school’s lunch program, the School Nutrition Association (SNA) suggests you contact your local school nutrition director to ask questions and/or share any suggestions or concerns you may have.
[School nutrition directors] are usually extremely helpful with addressing questions and concerns brought forward by parents, and will likely welcome any parent involvement. They are the resident experts in knowing what does and does not work at local schools.” – SNA
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I don’t know if our school participates in NSLW but I could still participate without their permission, I’m sure.
Love it! I had no idea it was National School Lunch week…I will be using the hashtag now!!!
That is so cool – getting involved in food choices is so important in growing healthy adults
I’m grateful that my daughter’s school offers a choice of fresh fruits with lunch every day.