5. Face food insecurity head on
Around 40% of students in the district qualify for free or reduced-price meals, but Honeywood says that many who don’t qualify are still struggling because of the high cost of living in the area. The nutrition team has taken steps to help families, such as implementing a weekend backpack program, but Honeywood would like to expand their outreach.
“One thing that we're planning to do is purchase a food vacuum sealer,” she says. “That way, we can make better use of the leftover meals that we prepare and either to do a better job of packaging those so that they can be offered later on in the menu cycle or create individual meals so that way we can send that to our backpack program.”
The district has also started a food bank program called School Market Days, where families can come to a market set up at school and receive food free of charge.
“Families who may be experiencing food insecurity don't have to go to a separate place, they can just come as they pick up their child from school, stop by the market and can get anything that they might need,” Honeywood says. “There’s no cash transactions, no sign-up list, you just come in and get what you want.”