Boise Schools Celebrate 

Healthy School Lunches & Lifestyles

National School Lunch Week Aims to Get Kids Excited About Healthy Foods and Physical Exercise

Boise,  ID - 10/08/2014 - To recognize the National School Lunch Program and the 30 million children it serves every day, Boise schools will recognize National School Lunch Week from October 13-17, 2014. The theme, "Get in the Game with School Lunch," will feature events and activities that promote the importance of balancing healthy eating with physical activity and exercise.

National School Lunch Week will emphasize the healthy foods that are offered daily at Boise schools.  To highlight how eating a healthy school lunch and staying active can help students succeed, Boise School District, in partnership with Let's Move Boise, are sponsoring a recipe contest for elementary school students. Click here  for contest details. 

National School Lunch Week will launch the contest at White Pine Elementary School, 401 E. Linden St., Boise, on Thursday, October 16th, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., with Chef Brenda, a Boise-based, nationally recognized chef and Registered Dietitian who will conduct an entertaining and enlightening demonstration for the students.  News media are invited to cover this event. 

Secondary Schools in the District will celebrate the week entering "selfie" photos of themselves with their school lunch in the hopes of winning a pair of Idaho Steelhead Hockey tickets or skating passes at Ice World. Click here to learn more. 

"School lunches provide a great opportunity for students to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grain items," said Peggy Bodnar, Boise Schools Food & Nutrition Services Supervisor. "National School Lunch Week is the perfect time to highlight all of the healthy options we're offering every day in Boise schools."

The federally-funded National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides nutritionally balanced, healthy meals to students every day.  The program, whichhas been serving the nation's children for over 60 years, requires school meals to meet federal nutrition standards like offering fruits and vegetables every day, serving whole-grain rich foods, and limiting fat, calories, and sodium.

The "Get in the Game with School Lunch" campaign is sponsored by the non-profit School Nutrition Association and Chobani Greek Yogurt.  For more information about schools meals, visit Boise School District's nutrition program website: http://food.school.boiseschools.org/.

News media interested in covering this campaign are encouraged to call Boise School District's Food & Nutrition Services office at 854-4090 to schedule an interview or a visit to a school cafeteria.