Blog
Connecting Kids To Meals: A Valued Resource For Kids In Northwest Ohio
Connecting Kids to Meals, known as CKM, is a nonprofit agency in Toledo, Ohio, that provides healthy meals at no cost to at-risk kids in low-income and underserved areas of Northwest Ohio. With a nearly 20-year history of feeding hungry kids, the critical work of CKM becomes more important every day.
05/22/2023
Blog
School Breakfast: A Jump Start to a Great Day
School breakfast programs are critical in building a healthier future for America’s children. But currently, only half of the children who eat school lunch also get their breakfast at school.
04/25/2023
Blog
Three Days in Michigan
Over the course of three days in MI, Stacy Dean, Deputy Under Secretary for FNS, spoke at "The State of Our Plate" convening, met with school food service professionals, and attended a summit for healthcare professionals, insurers, federal, state, and local government officials.
04/11/2023
Blog
Secretary Tom Vilsack Visits Greeley Evans School District
Greeley-Evans School District 6 in northern Colorado was honored and excited to welcome Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to Maplewood Elementary School on March 22. The Secretary and visitors were able to see just one school of more than 30 in District 6 that provide essential health and nutrition programs to more than 22,000 students every day.
04/04/2023
Blog
Food Waste Reduction through Farm to School Programs
October is Farm to School Month! The USDA Farm to School Program helps schools incorporate local foods into meal programs and supports local food and agriculture education through grants, research, and technical assistance. Less plate waste may be a benefit for schools implementing farm to school.
10/27/2022
Blog
USDA Food Assistance Programs at Work in Guam and CNMI
On August 14-19, a leadership team traveled to Guam and the Commonwealth of Northern Marianna Islands to meet with the territories’ leadership, superintendents and commissioners, that administer USDA food assistance programs. They discussed the challenges of transitioning back to pre-pandemic operations, how USDA could assist, and lessons learned.
10/12/2022
Blog
The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health: What it Means to Me
Today kicks off the second, historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. It’s been more than 50 years since the last conference, which produced impactful, meaningful changes to improve USDA nutrition assistance programs, including SNAP, WIC and school meals. The conference will work towards ending hunger and reducing diet-related diseases and disparities in the U.S. by 2030.
09/28/2022
Blog
Four Ways to Nourish More Children through School Meals
Over the last two years, we’ve experienced major disruptions in the world of school meals – new realities stemming from pandemic-related school closures and supply chain disruptions which have impacted the cost and availability of food, staff, and supplies. Through it all, our dedicated school nutrition professionals have demonstrated a tireless commitment to ensuring kids remain fed and nourished.
09/08/2022
Blog
Harvesting Health All Summer Long
The FNS Turnip the Beet awards recognize outstanding summer meal program sponsors for going above and beyond, ensuring children receive high quality meals in a fun, safe and healthy learning environment when school is out.
07/06/2022
Blog
Cooking up Success as a CACFP Sponsor
The FNS Mid-Atlantic Region recently joined forces with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to recognize Programs for Parents, a Child and Adult Care Food Program sponsor in Essex County, NJ, with a regional CACFP Achievement Award for their creative and dedicated efforts to promote nutrition security among children.
06/22/2022
Blog
Passion Overcomes Pandemic Challenges
Like countless schools across the country, the Live Oak Unified School District, about 50 miles north of Sacramento, had to shift their operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
03/25/2021
Blog
Local Child Care Center Makes Nutritious Eating a Lifestyle
Providing children the nutritious food they need to learn, grow and thrive is critical to USDA’s mission. Last week, I had the chance to see first-hand how USDA helps make this happen during a visit to Tysons Corner Children’s Center in suburban Washington, D.C.
03/28/2019
Page updated: February 25, 2021