The Lewiston School Nutrition department plans to offer nutritional benefits to the city’s children and, in some cases, adults 60 and older throughout the coming school year, according to a news release.
The Maine Department of Education oversees several USDA Food and Nutrition Services programs and initiatives that provide healthy food to children. Each of these programs helps fight hunger and obesity. Below are brief descriptions of the programs and initiatives the Lewiston Public Schools Nutrition Program is participating in.
School Breakfast Program: Students who eat breakfast have fewer missed school days and fewer visits to the nurse. Federally funded, the School Breakfast Program provides students up to the age of 21, enrolled in public and private nonprofit schools and residential child care institutions, with the fuel they need to be full, focused and ready to learn.
National School Lunch Program: The federally-assisted meal program operates in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day.
Community Eligibility Provision (CEP): The Lewiston School District is a CEP — this provision gives districts and/or schools the ability to not collect free and reduced meal applications. All children in Lewiston Public schools eat for free.
Child and Adult Care Food Program: CACFP provides funding to after school programs that serve healthy meals and snacks to children and teens in low income areas. Up to 1 meal and 1 snack per child per day are reimbursable through CACFP.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program: FFVP provides a grant to elementary schools that are 50% or greater free and reduced. The funds are used to provide fresh fruit and vegetables to children outside of the school meals, often served as a snack. This program has helped students try new foods and increases their consumption of fruits and vegetables during the day.
Afterschool Snack Service Program: ASSP provides after school snacks to children participating in structured educational programs. Schools with more than 50% free and reduced students provide the snacks free to any participating student. A school must provide an organized, structured and supervised environment including educational or enrichment activities. Competitive interscholastic sports teams are not an eligible after school program.
For more information, call Jeanned’Arc R. Giroux, administrative assistant, LPS Nutrition Program, at 207-795-4106 or visit maine.gov.
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