CHICAGO, September 13, 2024 – Action for Healthy Kids and USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service announced that 39 school districts have received 53 Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Recognition Awards this August for trailblazing and innovative work in improving the nutritional quality of their school meals.

The HMI Recognition Awards Program recognizes and celebrates school districts that make operational changes to improve the planning and preparation of nutritious school meals, as well as those that engage students and families in menu planning and nutrition education. The awards also celebrate school districts that are working to meet USDA’s updates to the school nutrition standards. These standards ensure that school meals are not only nutritious but also delicious, offering more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, while reducing added sugars and sodium. The Recognition Awards showcase the efforts of schools to enhance meal quality and foster a culture of nutrition awareness among students and their families.

Learn About the Awardees:

• Elmore County School District (Alabama) received the Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award

• Madison Elementary School District 38 (Arizona) received the Innovation in Nutrition Education Award

• Osborn School District 8 (Arizona) received the Innovation in Nutrition Education Award, the Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award, and the Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Breakfast Trailblazer Award

• Sacred Heart School (Arkansas) received the Innovation in Nutrition Education Award

• Borrego Springs Unified School District (California) received the Innovation in Nutrition Education Award

• Huntington Beach Union High School District (California) received the Innovation in the Cultural Diversity of School Meals Award

• Rialto Unified School District (California) received the Innovation in Nutrition Education Award, the Innovation in the Cultural Diversity of School Meals Award, and the Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award

• Western Placer Unified School District (California) received the Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award

• Brush School District (Colorado) received the Innovation in Nutrition Education Award

• Boulder Valley School District (Colorado) received the Innovation in Nutrition Education Award and the Innovation in the Cultural Diversity of School Meals Award

• Cherry Creek School District (Colorado) received the Innovation in Nutrition Education Award and the Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award

• Baldwin County School District (Georgia) received the Innovation in Nutrition Education Award

• Paris Community Unit School District 4 (Illinois) received the Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award

• Frankfort Independent School District (Kentucky) received the Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer Award

• Nelson County School District (Kentucky) received the Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award

• Spencer County School District (Kentucky) received the Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer Award

• Millinocket School Department (Maine) received the Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award

• York School District (Maine) received the Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer Award

• Carver School District (Massachusetts) received the Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer Award

• New Bedford Public School District (Massachusetts) received the Innovation in Nutrition Education Award

• Center Line Public Schools (Michigan) received the Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award

• Zeeland Public Schools (Michigan) received the Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award and the Lunch Trailblazer Award

• Hollandale School District (Mississippi) received the Breakfast Trailblazer Award

• Simpson County School District (Mississippi) received the Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer Award

• Bogota School District (New Jersey) received the Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award

• Clifton Public Schools (New Jersey) received the Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award

• Elba Central School District (New York) received the Innovation in Nutrition Education Award

• Yeshiva Ahabath Isreal Bnos Visnitz (New York) received the Innovation in the Cultural Diversity of School Meals Award, the Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer Award, and the Innovation in Nutrition Education Award

• Marcola School District 79J (Oregon) received the Innovation in Nutrition Education Award

• Colonial School District (Pennsylvania) received the Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award

• Lebanon School District (Pennsylvania) received the Breakfast Trailblazer Award

• Antilles Consolidated School System (Puerto Rico) received the Lunch Trailblazer Award, the Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer Award, the Innovation in the Cultural Diversity of School Meals Award, the Breakfast Trailblazer Award, the Small and/or Rural Breakfast School Food Authority Breakfast Trailblazer Award, and the Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award

• Lee County School District (South Carolina) received the Innovation in Nutrition Education Award

• Franklin Special School District (Tennessee) received the Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Breakfast Trailblazer Award

• Galena Park Independent School District (Texas) received the Innovation in Nutrition Education Award

• Millsap Independent School District (Texas) received the Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer Award

• Port Aransas Independent School District (Texas) received the Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award

• Quitman Independent School District (Texas) received the Breakfast Trailblazer Award

• East Valley School District 90 (Washington) received the Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer Award

A map of all the Recognition awardees and more information about their awards can be found on the Awardee Spotlight webpage.

“Action for Healthy Kids and the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service would like to congratulate these school districts on the progress they’ve made in their nutrition programs this school year,” said Rob Bisceglie, Executive Officer/President of Action for Healthy Kids. “We applaud the staff who have worked hard to prepare fresh, appealing, and delicious meals for their students.”

School districts can apply for one or more of the following HMI Recognition Awards:

• Breakfast Trailblazer
• Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Breakfast Trailblazer
• Lunch Trailblazer
• Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer
• Innovative School Lunch Makeover
• Innovation in the Cultural Diversity of School Meals
• Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals
• Innovation in Nutrition Education

“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 the 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.

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