As the Healthy Meals Incentives initiative moved into its wrap-up phase, Action for Healthy Kids hosted a series of regional events to mark the milestones and document the practices that will outlast the program itself. The events were part celebration, part knowledge transfer.
Why regional events
A single national summit captures one kind of value. Regional events capture another: tighter geographic cohorts, more time for deep peer conversations, easier travel for smaller districts, and more connection to regional supply chains and State Agency staff. Regional events have run smaller in attendance but often higher in direct per-attendee value.
What HMI funded
Through grant funding and ongoing technical assistance, HMI helped districts make concrete improvements: new kitchen equipment, staff training in scratch cooking, smarter procurement strategies. These investments produced visible change in cafeterias across 264 districts in 44 states plus DC. The regional events were a chance to bring awardees and grantees together to compare notes.
Themes from the regions
Rural districts consistently named equipment and staff training as their highest-use investments. Urban districts talked more about procurement and engagement. Both categories of districts emphasized the importance of State Agency partnership in navigating applications and ongoing reporting. Nearly every district cited student engagement as the driver behind sustained participation gains.
What carries forward
The equipment stays. The skills stay. The partnerships stay. The documentation habits built for Recognition Award applications stay. The relationships between districts formed at events stay. HMI as a funding program may wind down, but the capabilities it helped build will continue producing better school meals long after the initiative closes.
Looking ahead
Follow-up convenings, including the Fall 2025 Virtual Summit, continue the knowledge-sharing work. Recognition Awards remain open on a rolling basis for districts continuing to improve their programs.