CHICAGO, September 13, 2024 — Action for Healthy Kids and USDA's Food and Nutrition Service today announced that 39 school districts received 53 Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Recognition Awards for their August 2024 work improving the nutritional quality of school meals.
This round skews toward Innovation awards for scratch cooking, nutrition education, and cultural diversity — and toward Trailblazer awards for small and rural districts where participation gains are often the clearest measure of impact.
Learn about the awardees
- Elmore County School District (Alabama) — Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals
- Madison Elementary School District 38 (Arizona) — Innovation in Nutrition Education
- Osborn School District 8 (Arizona) — Innovation in Nutrition Education; Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals; Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Breakfast Trailblazer
- Sacred Heart School (Arkansas) — Innovation in Nutrition Education
- Borrego Springs Unified School District (California) — Innovation in Nutrition Education
- Huntington Beach Union High School District (California) — Innovation in the Cultural Diversity of School Meals
- Rialto Unified School District (California) — Innovation in Nutrition Education; Innovation in the Cultural Diversity of School Meals; Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals
- Western Placer Unified School District (California) — Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals
- Brush School District (Colorado) — Innovation in Nutrition Education
- Boulder Valley School District (Colorado) — Innovation in Nutrition Education; Innovation in the Cultural Diversity of School Meals
- Cherry Creek School District (Colorado) — Innovation in Nutrition Education; Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals
- Baldwin County School District (Georgia) — Innovation in Nutrition Education
- Paris Community Unit School District 4 (Illinois) — Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals
- Frankfort Independent School District (Kentucky) — Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer
- Nelson County School District (Kentucky) — Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals
- Spencer County School District (Kentucky) — Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer
- Millinocket School Department (Maine) — Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals
- York School District (Maine) — Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer
- Carver School District (Massachusetts) — Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer
- New Bedford Public School District (Massachusetts) — Innovation in Nutrition Education
- Center Line Public Schools (Michigan) — Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals
- Zeeland Public Schools (Michigan) — Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals; Lunch Trailblazer
- Hollandale School District (Mississippi) — Breakfast Trailblazer
- Simpson County School District (Mississippi) — Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer
- Bogota School District (New Jersey) — Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals
- Clifton Public Schools (New Jersey) — Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals
- Elba Central School District (New York) — Innovation in Nutrition Education
- Yeshiva Ahavath Israel Bnos Visnitz (New York) — Innovation in the Cultural Diversity of School Meals; Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer; Innovation in Nutrition Education
- Marcola School District 79J (Oregon) — Innovation in Nutrition Education
- Colonial School District (Pennsylvania) — Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals
- Lebanon School District (Pennsylvania) — Breakfast Trailblazer
- Antilles Consolidated School System (Puerto Rico) — Lunch Trailblazer; Small and/or Rural SFA Lunch Trailblazer; Innovation in Cultural Diversity; Breakfast Trailblazer; Small and/or Rural SFA Breakfast Trailblazer; Innovation in Meal Preparation
- Lee County School District (South Carolina) — Innovation in Nutrition Education
- Franklin Special School District (Tennessee) — Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Breakfast Trailblazer
- Galena Park Independent School District (Texas) — Innovation in Nutrition Education
- Millsap Independent School District (Texas) — Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer
- Port Aransas Independent School District (Texas) — Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals
- Quitman Independent School District (Texas) — Breakfast Trailblazer
- East Valley School District 90 (Washington) — Small and/or Rural School Food Authority Lunch Trailblazer
A map of all Recognition awardees and more detail on each award can be found on the Awardee Spotlight page.
"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 and President of Action for Healthy Kids. "We applaud the staff who have worked hard to prepare fresh, appealing, and delicious meals for their students."
The award categories
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
How to apply
The Recognition Awards application is available on the HMI website. Districts are eligible to apply if they participate in the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
About the partners
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of 16 nutrition assistance programs, including the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC, and SNAP. Together, these programs serve about 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year.
Action for Healthy Kids is a national nonprofit focused on improving children's health and well-being by mobilizing educators, families, and community partners. Action for Healthy Kids has reached more than 20 million children across 55,000 schools nationwide.