USDA Food and Nourishment Services Awards Just about $1 Million Schooling Grant to Virginia Office of Education and learning

RICHMOND, Va., May possibly 17, 2022 – The U.S. Division of Agriculture Food items and Diet Support Mid-Atlantic Area announced nowadays the award of a $982,827 grant to Virginia Office of Instruction, which administers the National School Lunch Software in the Commonwealth. The grant, formally known as FNS’s “Team Nutrition Schooling Grant for School Nourishment Qualified Readiness and Retention,” will assist enable the Virginia Division of Education and learning to build and keep a robust university nutrition workforce and employ transitional food sample expectations for the duration of the upcoming school year. The Commonwealth will award sub-grants to local school meals authorities to guidance menu changes necessary to satisfy Countrywide Faculty Lunch System and University Breakfast Program food styles and provide freshly organized, community, and culturally inclusive school meals.

“Nutritious college meals assistance America’s children find out, expand, and stay healthy,” reported FNS Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Dr. Patty Bennett. “School nutrition pros in Virginia have created unbelievable strides in strengthening the university foods plans more than the earlier 10 a long time and USDA is fully commited to supporting them in this work.”

“Virginia Department of Training is pleased to use these grant resources to present a comprehensive university meals schooling system for approximately 150 college nutrition directors and about 2,000 frontline cafeteria administrators as nicely as sub-grants for our university meals authorities throughout the Commonwealth,” reported Virginia Division of Training Director of University Diet Programs, Dr. Sandra Curwood.

“School foods are a tested method to improving upon nourishment security. Investigate shows they are the most healthy food items most kids receive in the working day,” reported FNS Administrator Cindy Extensive. “USDA and the Biden-Harris Administration are committed to prioritizing diet safety – regular entry to nutritious, affordable foodstuff and beverages that promote fantastic well being. Whilst it really is not straightforward to alter ingesting routines and schools deal with hurdles to improving diet, the upcoming payoffs of even incremental variations are extraordinary, and educational institutions have revealed that it is attainable when we operate with each other.”

Virginia’s Office of Training is 1 of 8 condition businesses all-around the nation to get cash from this year’s USDA Staff Diet Education Grants, which totaled somewhere around $7.1 million. The other awardees are the Departments of Education from Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, and Minnesota and the Offices of Public Instruction from Montana, North Dakota, and Washington.

Crew Diet Instruction Grants have been a portion of the Workforce Diet initiative since its inception in 1995. The Staff Nutrition initiative supports FNS’s Baby Nutrition Programs by training and specialized guidance for foodservice, nutrition schooling for little ones and their caregivers, and routines to build wholesome university and childcare environments.

For more facts about the application course of action for this year’s Workforce Nutrition Coaching Grants, take a look at Staff Nourishment Training Grants.

USDA’s Food items and Diet Company (FNS) leverages its 15 diet guidance programs to ensure that youngsters, reduced-money folks, and families have possibilities for a far better potential as a result of equitable access to risk-free, nutritious, and healthy meals, though making a much more resilient food stuff system. Less than the leadership of Secretary Tom Vilsack, FNS is battling to finish food stuff and nutrition insecurity for all by means of programs such as SNAP, university meals, and WIC. FNS also supplies science-centered nourishment tips as a result of the co-advancement of the Dietary Tips for Individuals. To master more, visit www.fns.usda.gov and comply with @USDANutrition.

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