No Kid Hungry, a national campaign run by nonprofit Share Our Strength, has announced a grant of over $70,000 to five schools in the state of Michigan, including New Branches Charter Academy. We at the school are so grateful for their contribution to our school community, and are excited to use these funds in a way that not only benefits our school, but the area we serve as a whole.
New Branches Charter Academy’s Food Service Supervisor, Anita Smith said the following, “Our approach to securing funds for this grant include a few categories to ensure that we provide essentials for our students to have fresh and tasty nutrition throughout the day, after school, and in the summer months.”
Food Costs: Supply chain shortages are our worst nightmare. These funds allow us to find more creative ways to plan our menu with more culturally diverse foods, including nutritional education. These funds also help offset the increased food cost due to inflation.
Meal Service Supplies: Purchasing these items can be challenging. Many disposal items are out of stock; therefore we like to purchase meal service supplies as early as possible. We are also an Eco-Friendly School and strive to reduce waste.
Refrigeration: Additional refrigeration equipment will assist in the transportation of milk to the classrooms, as well as keeping water, juice, etc. cold while our students are outside for activities.
Program Outreach: We cannot achieve the best for our students and community unless we promote what we have to offer. Our promotionals include communicating via social media, signage, flyers, social events, emails and phone calls.
As we look forward to the upcoming 2022-2023 school year, we are excited that this grant will assist our goal to serve students and families with healthy nutrition; building strong bodies and minds. We are joyous to say that we can create an environment where there truly is No Kid Hungry.