The Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School (BVT) Food Services program is fueling its students for success through high-quality breakfast and lunch offerings that are nutritious and delicious. As a proud recipient of a $65,800 Healthy Meals Incentives grant from Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK), the funds will support their efforts to enhance the nutritional quality of school meals. The grant is part of an allocation of nearly $30 million by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to 264 schools across 44 states and the District of Columbia.

“We’re committed to creating restaurant-quality school meals that contain fresh, nutritious ingredients. Having continued access to nutritious meals promotes student learning and lifelong healthy eating behaviors,” said Chef Eric Carlson, BVT’s Director of Food Services, who works alongside BVT’s Nutritionist Martha Pellegrino and the Food Services staff. “To help our students and staff manage their healthy eating habits, our lunch menu includes each item’s nutritional value.”

As part of the USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives grant program, AFHK and with the support of its partners, the Chef Ann Foundation and Rocky Mountain Center for Health Promotion and Education, will provide BVT’s Food Services staff with in-depth, individualized assistance and opportunities to collaborate during the school year on topics such as menu planning, recipe development, and food safety. With this grant, the school will also modernize its operations with a walk-in refrigerator and meal prep workstations for its cafeteria.

BVT is proud to partner with Action for Healthy Kids and USDA to strengthen its school meal program. To learn more about the Healthy Meals Incentives grant and the tasty items on this month’s lunch menu, visit valleytech.k12.ma.us/foodnutrition.