D6 is celebrating National School Lunch Week this year with fun new menu items and groovy activities at all our schools! Learn More about National School Lunch Week (NSLW) and check out some photos of our celebration below.
About NSLW
From the School Nutrition Association, SNA:
Healthy, hearty meals have been prepared and served in schools for more than 100 years, but it was not until 1946 that they were considered essential to support children’s health and American agriculture when President Harry S. Truman signed the National School Lunch Act to form the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The NSLP led the way for other important federal child nutrition programs and initiatives, notably those for school breakfast, afterschool snacks and supper, summer feeding, fresh fruits and vegetables, farm to school, and more. (SNA)
Today, nearly 30 million children are served healthy lunches every school day. School meals comply with strict federal nutrition standards regarding vegetables, grains, fats, sodium, calories, and more. To help school meal operations manage many of the challenges brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, including supply chain disruptions, labor challenges, and historic inflation, the federal government has waived a number of regulatory restrictions for SY2022-23 and has provided nearly $2.5 billion in extra commodity support to help school meal programs mitigate financial difficulties.
The same year that the NSLP was established, two organizations representing school food service directors merged to become the School Food Service Association, which tweaked its name a few times over the years until 2004, when it became the School Nutrition Association (SNA). Still going strong after 76 years, SNA represents thousands of school nutrition professionals working at all job levels in communities across the country. Their commitment to feeding students in the face of abrupt school closures and lockdowns at the start of the pandemic ensured they’d no longer be seen as unsung heroes of school districts. Today, many serve breakfast, lunch, snack, supper, and weekend meals all year long. (SNA)
National School Lunch Week (NSLW) was established in 1962 by Congress and President John F. Kennedy. It’s an annual observance that promotes the value of healthy school lunches for students in K-12 schools. SNA has long supported NSLW, encouraging its members to help promote the occasion and leverage the opportunity of a brighter, broader spotlight. (SNA)