This week marks National School Lunch Week. It is an opportunity for us to continue to promote healthy nutrition for all of our students, as well as the dedication of the members of our Food Service Department.
The National School Lunch Program was established in 1946 to champion the critically important fact that meeting a child’s nutritional needs is an elemental component of their overall success at school. President Kennedy established National School Lunch Week in 1962 to continue to advance this objective, particularly in connection to the serious food insecurity challenges faced by low-income families.
The program has expanded to include breakfast, again recognizing that providing all students with the fuel their minds and bodies need to grow is vital to closing the opportunity gap.
In our school district, all of our students have received free breakfast and lunch at school for many years through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision. We also have numerous community partners – including the Albany Fund for Education and Homeless and Travelers Aid Society – who assist us in addressing families’ food insecurity outside of the regular school day.
Please express your thanks to School Lunch Director Lisa Finkenbinder and her team in the Food Services Department. They fulfill an important role in helping our district strive to meet our vision, mission and goals every day. We are grateful for their service, and all they do to support our students.
