Healthy, hearty meals served through Gwinnett County Public Schools’ award-winning school nutrition program (SNP) are the ticket to good nutrition for our students!
During National School Lunch Week (Oct. 12-16), we’re raising the curtain on the contributions of the 1,400+ food service professionals for their dedicated work in preparing and serving more than 100,000 meals each day through the district’s 132 school cafeterias! This big job is even bigger this year as our cafeterias are feeding both in-person students at the school and digital learners and other children in the community via curbside pickup.
“Our school nutrition employees are doing an incredible job during these unprecedented times, and they have adapted and adjusted in a professional and positive manner,” says Ken Yant, executive director of School Nutrition Programs. “They have demonstrated a true commitment and dedication to ensure we provide access to meals for all GCPS students.”
Café Gwinnett plays a critical role in ensuring students have access to nutritious meals—both breakfast and lunch. Based on strict federal guidelines, every school lunch served in our cafeterias contains fruits and vegetables, whole-grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy to help feed students’ bodies and fuel their minds. Gwinnett cafeterias serve many of the brands families use at home, such as Tyson, General Mills, Kellogg’s, and Land O’ Lakes. In addition, students are served a variety of fruits and vegetables, many locally grown, through GCPS’ Farm to School program.
#thankSNPstaff #SchoolLunch #KeepGCPSFed
Free meals extended through end of school year
Thanks to USDA waiver extensions that were issued on Oct. 9, the school district is able to offer both breakfast and lunch on school days to all Gwinnett children, ages 18 and younger, at no charge through the end of the school year, including children who are not school-aged and children who are not GCPS students. (Note that GCPS does not provide meals on weekends or on scheduled student holidays.)
Gwinnett County Public Schools encourages families who are eligible for the Free and Reduced-Price Meal Program to complete the annual application to ensure meal benefits continue when this waiver expires. Note that those eligible for free- and reduced-priced meals may be able to access other types of public assistance or services that may be available during this pandemic.