According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, kids with access to a salad bar in their school cafeteria consume three times more vegetables and fruits than kids without a salad bar. Why? Because they get to choose which veggies and fruits they want.
When you give kids good choices, they’ll make good choices. This fact is proven with salad bars. Kids with access to a salad bar in the school cafeteria not only put more fruits and veggies on their plates, they actually eat them!
Whole Kids Foundation® opens in a new tab loves salad bars because they directly support our mission to get kids to eat better…and enjoy it!
That’s why, through key partnerships, we developed the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools opens in a new tabgrant program, which has already raised $6 million and delivered over 4,000 salad bars to schools, serving more than a million children.
Our Salad Bar grant program is an equipment grant. We give the actual salad bar along with the training needed to implement a school salad bar program successfully.
Applications are available year round through Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools opens in a new tab. To apply, you must work with your school district to meet two main criteria:
Whether a public, private or independent school, the school district operates under the USDA National School Lunch Program.
The school implementing the salad bar has at least 100 students.
Before applying, your school should assess opens in a new tab their meal program and feel confident that the district can support salad bars opens in a new tab, and that the school’s menu plan includes offering salad bars daily as part of their reimbursable meal program. In-depth tools, including an assessment and planning guide, are available on the Lunchbox.org website opens in a new tab.
If your school is interested in applying, the district’s food services director should fill out the application and remain the primary contact if your district or school:
Uses a school lunch contract management company (a company outside the school provides all breakfasts & lunches)
Is a charter or independent private school district
Is not part of a larger district
In the above cases, whoever is in charge of food service should be the person applying and responsible for the grant.
To understand what is involved in the application, take a look at the sample application opens in a new tab. Key pieces of information include:
District enrollment numbers
Free and reduced (F/R) participation percentage
Average Daily Participation (ADP) percentage
Food costs
Staff and training
Superintendent contact information and district address
For more information and tips on how to apply, visit Let’s Move Salad Bar’s Schools’ opens in a new tab website, with information designed both for parents opens in a new tab and for school districts opens in a new tab.
You can also email info@wholekidsfoundation.org opens in a new tab with any questions and sign up for our newsletter opens in a new tab or follow us on Facebook opens in a new tab or Twitter opens in a new tab to receive updates on the work of Whole Kids Foundation!
Are you interested in getting a salad bar in your child’s school? Share your reasons in the comments below.
