Meal Promotion Activities
Nebraska Thursdays: Eating Local Foods
Each month the LPS menu features NEBRASKA THURSDAY with items produced in or around Nebraska, including fresh chicken, seasonal produce such as watermelons or cantaloupe, whole grain flour, and GMO-free milk. Nutrition Services works year round to find locally grown products from Nebraska or surrounding states. Our milk comes from dairies in Nebraska and Iowa, fresh chicken from Tecumseh, Nebraska, and the flour from our homemade rolls comes from a mill in Kansas.
The number of pounds of whole grain flour used each year by LPS to make fresh baked dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, and other homemade delicacies.
Apple Crunch Day
The Great Apple Crunch Day is an annual event that celebrates the apple harvest. To promote healthy snacking, the school menu features a locally grown apple. Some schools even schedule a synchronized crunch by all students in the lunchroom!
New Foods & Special Foods
Exposing children to a wide variety of foods helps to develop a lifelong, healthy attitude toward eating.
Presenting new foods in a fun, non-threatening way works best. Students help us to sample and evaluate new products. Throughout the school year seasonal changes are made to the fruits and vegetables. We also incorporate new food items into the LPS menu for students to see and taste.
Special meals coincide with the holidays, seasonal produce or foods or might even be planned “just because”.
School Breakfast Week
School Breakfast Week is celebrated each year the first week of March. Breakfast helps all students “Start Their Engines” for a successful school day.
The first School Breakfast Week was sponsored by USDA back in 1989 as a means for all K12 students in the US to have access to a nutritious school breakfast. This annual celebration reminds parents, students, and school officials the benefits of fueling up at breakfast also means winning in the classroom.
School breakfast plays a particularly significant role for children of food-insecure households. When all students at a school take advantage of school breakfast, that can help to eliminate any stigma associated with participation.
School Lunch Hero Day
Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author of the wildly popular Lunch Lady graphic novels, realized that his stories can inspire readers beyond the page, and founded School Lunch Hero Day in 2013. This celebration honors the hard-working individuals who prepare healthy meals for our students every single day and is observed nationally on the first Friday in May.
The significance and benefits of school meals are well documented. For many children, school lunch is the most nutrient-rich and important meal of their day. School Lunch Hero Day is a chance to highlight the
difference School Nutrition Professionals make for every child who comes through the cafeteria.
LPS Nutrition Services Staff are committed to providing healthful, nutritious meals to the District’s children, in addition to the positive daily interactions and support that happen in the cafeteria line. Between preparing healthy meals, adhering to strict nutrition standards, navigating student food allergies, and offering service
with a smile, our School Nutrition Professionals are true heroes.
