| | Published October 23rd, 2024
| Rheem Elementary kicks off its first California Crunch Day
| | | By Vera Kochan |  | | Rheem students enjoy the salad bar. Photo Vera Kochan |
The Community Alliance with Family Farmers sponsored its ninth Annual California Crunch at noon on Oct. 10. The statewide event encouraged schools to "take one big collective bite of locally-grown fruits and vegetables to celebrate local farms and healthy eating." One such school to participate for the first time was Donald L. Rheem Elementary.
The event was also a celebration of Farm-to-School Month. Last year's statewide effort included over 50 school districts that reached over 650,000 students.
According to Food and Nutrition Services Coordinator for the Moraga School District Selma Mirante, "We will feature rainbow carrots, corn on the cob, and cauliflower for our students to crunch." Other items in the cafeteria's salad bar included cucumbers, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, grapes, unpeeled bananas, and packaged applesauce.
In 2022, California became the first state to enact the Universal Meals Program, whereby the elementary schools provide students with not only a free breakfast, but free lunch as well. "The state had a 'kit fund' grant that provided schools with ovens, warmers, freezers, and refrigerators," explained Mirante. "We don`t have a stove. Most schools in Lamorinda do not. We learned as we were going along, and a lot of the food we serve is made from scratch, like today's pasta and sauces. We also have a contract with Sodexo US."
Rheem's menu changes regularly to give the kids variety, and popular dishes will see a return. "We make certain that the kids eat a fruit or vegetable, and they can go to the salad bar as often as they want," Mirante said. "The California Department of Education Universal Meals Program is what we participate in, and there are rules for compliant meals."
Operations Manager Rezika Begriche explained, "We put out whatever the harvest of the month is. We've also included romaine lettuce and last time was watermelon." She monitors the salad bar and tries to encourage the kids to go for the not-so-popular choices like carrots and cauliflower.
At Rheem, the students enter the cafeteria in timed shifts. Grades K - 1 are first; then 2 - 3; followed by 4 - 5; and finally the TKs come last. Principal Brian Sullivan explained that any of the foods not eaten are composted in order to help reduce waste. The kids do a decent job of sorting what refuse goes into specific bins, and RecycleSmart keeps an eye on the collection contents for accuracy.
Sullivan was the Master of Ceremonies when it came time to have the students simultaneously take a bite out of a carrot. Before the big event, he gave the kids some facts about the three crunchy vegetables on the menu for the day. The afternoon's cauliflower came from Salinas, California and is a relative to broccoli and cabbage. The corn was grown in Brentwood, California and is classified as a fruit. The mention of corn tortillas was a big hit with the crowd. The rainbow carrots (either orange, yellow, or purple) came from Bakersfield and help to promote healthy eyesight, heart, and lungs.
Containers of the multi-colored carrots were placed on all tables, and the students were encouraged to grab one in preparation for the countdown from ten to one, at which point Sullivan described it as the "Crunch of the Century." The previously untouched carrots from the salad bar suddenly became part of a lunchtime game as the kids happily crunched away and finished their entire carrot. Note to parents: if playing a game is all that it takes to get your kids to eat certain vegetables -- let the games begin. |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA