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School Lunch, All Year Round

School Lunch, All Year Round

"As a nutrition student, I have a lot of ideas about how I can make a difference in the community.  Newman's Own Foundation has allowed me the opportunity to implement one of my ideas. Through the whole process I have built relationships, initiated change and learned about how to make an idea come to life.  I now feel like I have more tools in my box to get some of my other ideas going!  Thanks NOFC for supporting me!" --Jill Ohland, from University of Minnesota


 

When University of Minnesota student Jill Ohland heard about a local school offering lunches to low-income families whose children were on summer break, she wondered how many other schools could offer such a program. She also got an idea for what she could do to help. This summer, through the Newman's Own Foundation Challenge, Ohland will be delivering bags of food directly to the houses where it's needed most. Included with each delivery will be recipe cards with ideas for how the families can turn those ingredients into meals. 

By teaming up with the food service director for Hopkins Public School district, Ohland has learned where she will be needed most. At Meadowbrook Elementary School in Golden Valley, Minn., for example, she was told that 17 percent of the student population is on the free- and reduced-lunch list, yet none of the students have access to the meals, come summer. Ohland also plans to team up with the Intercongregation Communities Association (ICA) Food Shelf, which has an existing program for food distribution to those in need. Through ICA's expansion into a summer program for children, and with Ohland's help, there will certainly be a lot fewer hungry mouths come June.

Read more Newman's Own Foundation success stories here.

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