CHICAGO, June 24, 2024 – Action for Healthy Kids and USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service announced that 50 school districts have received 64 Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Recognition Awards during the months of March, April and May for making nutritional improvements to their school meals.

As part of the HMI Initiative, the Recognition Awards Program celebrates school districts that make operational and/or planning and preparation changes to improve the nutritional quality of their school meals, as well as school districts that engage students and families in nutrition education.

Details and a map of recipients can be found on the Awardee Spotlight webpage. School districts have been recognized in the following HMI Recognition Awards categories:

• Small and/or Rural SFA Breakfast Trailblazer
  • Belton School District 124 (Missouri)
  • Granite School District 3 (Oklahoma)
  • Laguna Beach Unified School District (California)
  • North Crawford School District (Wisconsin)
  • Northville Central School District (New York)
  • Petersburg School District (Alaska)
  • Richland-Bean Blossom Community District (Indiana)
  • RSU 87/MSAD 23 (Maine)
  • Spartanburg School District 4 (South Carolina)

• Lunch Trailblazer
  • Bridgeton Public School District (New Jersey)
  • Colville School District 115 (Washington)
  • Lansing Catholic Central High School (Michigan)
  • Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District (California)
  • Urbandale Community School District (Iowa)

• Small and/or Rural SFA Lunch Trailblazer
  • Armada Area School District (Michigan)
  • Bristol Tennessee City Schools (Tennessee)
  • Colville School District 115 (Washington)
  • Cumberland County School District (Kentucky)
  • Easton School District (Maine)
  • Granite School District 3 (Oklahoma)
  • Laguna Beach Unified School District (California)
  • Lexington County School District 3 (South Carolina)
  • Louisville City School District (Ohio)
  • Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District (California)
  • Spartanburg School District 4 (South Carolina)
  • Trinity Lutheran School (Iowa)

• Innovative School Lunch Makeover
  • Bridgeton Public School District (New Jersey)
  • Carbon County School District 2 (Wyoming)
  • Cumberland County School District (Kentucky)
  • Palo Alto Unified School District (California)

 Innovation in the Cultural Diversity of School Meals

• • Bridgeton Public School District (New Jersey)
  • Brooklyn Center Community Schools (Minnesota)
  • Elida Municipal School District (New Mexico)
  • Littleton Public School District (Massachusetts)
  • Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District (California)
  • Saint Paul Public Schools (Minnesota)
  • Whitman-Hanson Regional School District (Massachusetts)

• Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals
  • Bridgeton Public School District (New Jersey)
  • Cascade School District 5 (Oregon)
  • Centralia Elementary School District (California)
  • Coleman Independent School District (Texas)
  • Colville School District 115 (Washington)
  • Edgefield County School District (South Carolina)
  • Keystone Central School District (Pennsylvania)
  • Mount Horeb Area School District (Wisconsin)
  • New Richmond School District (Wisconsin)
  • Palo Alto Unified School District (California)
  • Portage Township Schools Corporation (Indiana)
  • School District of Beloit Turner (Wisconsin)
  • School District of Stockbridge (Wisconsin)
  • West Valley School District 208 (Washington)

• Innovation in Nutrition Education
  • Ashwaubenon School District (Wisconsin)
  • Bridgeton Public School District (New Jersey)
  • Carrollton Exempted Village School District (Ohio)
  • Ellensburg School District (Washington)
  • Glacial Hills Elementary School (Minnesota)
  • Haleyville City School District (Alabama)
  • Livingston County School District (Kentucky)
  • Marshall County School District (Alabama)
  • Northeast Vernon County School District R1 (Missouri)
  • Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (Michigan)
  • Portage Township Schools Corporation (Indiana)
  • Weld County School District RE – 6 Greeley (Colorado)
  • Zeeland Public Schools (Michigan)

“The progress being made in small and/or rural school districts is unprecedented, and we needed a national Recognition Awards program to match that level of commitment,” said Rob Bisceglie, Executive Officer/President of Action for Healthy Kids. “We are happy to celebrate the staff who dedicate their days to preparing fresh, nutritious, and delicious meals for their students.”

“The Recognition Awards highlight the progress our schools are making in improving the quality of school breakfast and lunch,” said Cindy Long, administrator of USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. “We’re seeing incredible efforts and innovative accomplishments by school nutrition professionals, as they provide their students with healthy, nutritious meals.”

The Recognition Awards application can be found on the HMI website. School districts are eligible to apply for the Recognition Awards if they participate in the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program in all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis over a two-year application period ending June 30, 2025. School districts that apply by August 30, 2024, and receive a Recognition Award, will qualify for a travel stipend to attend the Fall 2024 Healthy Meals Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada. School districts that apply between August 30, 2024, and the end of the application period on June 30, 2025, will qualify to attend the Fall 2025 Healthy Meals Summit.

ABOUT USDA’S FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of 16 nutrition assistance programs, such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS’s report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy, released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow @USDANutrition.

ABOUT ACTION FOR HEALTHY KIDS

Action for Healthy Kids is dedicated to improving children’s health and well-being by bringing together and mobilizing educators, families, and other key stakeholders to help children lead healthy lives. Through its core programming and family-school partnerships, Action for Healthy Kids has impacted more than 20 million children in 55,000 schools nationwide to address systemic challenges in underserved communities. To learn more about its growing network of

volunteers and champions, visit: actionforhealthykids.org