St. Helena Parish School District Wins Turnip the Beet Award from USDA
7/02/2019
The ideal location to serve summer meals is where kids already go during the summer! St. Helena College and Career Academy in Greensburg, Louisiana is in the sweet spot for the Summer Meals Program in St. Helena Parish. The Academy is a hub for summer school and other enrichment programs. Tracy Womack, Child Nutrition and Wellness Supervisor of St. Helena Parish School District says, “Our site location is easy to get to and accessible to parents and kids. We are here to serve all kids. Our school foodservice staff works hard every day to do the best we can for the kids!” Womack’s program was recently awarded a Silver Turnip the Beet Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). USDA recognizes outstanding summer meal program sponsors across the nation who work hard to offer high quality meals that are appetizing, appealing, and nutritious during the summer months. The summer meals program menu in St. Helena Parish is full of all of these things! Some of the kids’ favorites are rice and beans, spaghetti and chicken. The menu also showcases colorful fruits and vegetables including apples, pears, fresh bananas, green salads, sweet peas and collard greens.
The Turnip the Beet Award is open to all summer meal program sponsors. Three award levels are available: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. St. Helena Parish School District was the only program in the state of Louisiana to receive this prestigious honor from the USDA.
Offering high quality meals during the summer is important for a number of reasons. Summer sites have the opportunity to positively impact children’s development by offering nutritious meals and encouraging children to develop healthy habits at a young age. In addition, kids vote with their feet in the summer! Offering meals that children enjoy can help sustain and increase participation. It’s a win win, so let’s turnip the beet on meal quality in the Summer Meal Programs!
For more information, visit the Turnip the Beet! High Quality Summer Meals Award Program and USDA Summer Food Service Program pages.