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CCSD celebrates National School Lunch Week with expansion of free meals program
National School Lunch Week has always been a great time to celebrate the 3.2 million lunches that Cherry Creek Schools students eat every year. This year, there is extra cause for gratitude.
The Food and Nutrition Services team has announced it will offer free lunches for the district’s preschool program starting this week and will expand access to other school meal programs. The week will also include an art contest and fresh, local food from Colorado farms.
By extending the hours of meal pick-up at Smoky Hill High School and working with the Transportation department to continue getting meals to students, the team hopes even more students will be able to get the food they need.
“There are a lot of families who are struggling with the economic impacts of the pandemic,” food and nutrition services director Kim Kilgore said. “We want to be there for them to provide a great option for breakfast and lunch that is delicious and healthy and also saves them money. We’re all part of this community.”
After 11 years in the district, Kilgore still loves keeping up with trends like “build your own” bars and her team also tracks the data for which options are popular and which need a retooling or to be retired. Her team tackles questions like: how can we help kids who need a quick meal because they don’t have a lunch period? How do we help remote learners? How do we meet the need with cafeterias that are older or too small for their student body size?
“School meals have evolved since their beginning, and I don’t think school lunch will ever look the same again now,” Kilgore said. “We have to consider how student life is evolving and how the pandemic will continue to shape what school meals look like.”
The school lunch program dates back to the 1930s and became formalized when the National School Lunch Act (NSLA) passed in 1946. It was a momentous milestone in educational history and began a tradition that millions of children participate in every day: gathering to eat and catching up with friends. This history is literally close to home, as Kilgore’s family has roots in school cafeterias.
“My dad’s mother started the first hot lunch program in 1946 in Kiowa,” Kilgore said. “My mom’s mother was a baker in Douglas County making those delicious hot rolls, so I don’t know what took me so long to become a ‘lunch lady.’ I’m so glad to be here and feeding our kids. It’s so rewarding.”
Posted 10/19/20.