WASHINGTON, DC – Clear Lake and Decorah are around 264 school districts across the country sharing in nearly $30 million in federal funding to improve school nutrition.
The money is to develop and implement the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative.
“Students in every community deserve access to healthy and nutritious meals,” says USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small. “Today’s announcement demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to creating healthier, brighter futures for our children. With these funds, small and rural school districts will be able to modernize their operations and provide more nutritious meals, helping students succeed in the classroom and beyond.”
Clear Lake Community School District and Decorah Community School District will get up to $150,000 to improve the nutritional quality of their meals and modernize their operations. The grants can be used for:
Innovative staff training programs;
Kitchen updates and renovations;
Redesigning food preparation and service spaces;
Other school-district led efforts to support school meals and school nutrition professionals.
“When we strengthen school meal quality, we strengthen child health,” says USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Stacy Dean. “These grants are the largest targeted investment USDA has ever made for school meal programs in small and rural communities. We want to ensure every child in America has the opportunity to attend a school with high quality, nutritious meals, and this support is a step in that direction.”
