California schools get fruit and vegetable grants
Nutrition is part of the school curriculum, and California is funding some programs to make good eating part of students' lives, too.
State Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced grants today for schools to get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables. Twenty-five grantees, four of them in Los Angeles County, will share $184,100 in Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grants.
"Under this exciting new program, the grantees will work to find innovative ways to challenge students to eat more fruits and vegetables, like offering the free food through kiosks, vending machines, or bowls of pineapple and strawberries in the classroom."
Among the grant recipients are Columbia Elementary School and Durfee Elementary School in the El Monte City School District, and the Edison Language Academy and Will Rogers Learning Community in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
The fruit and vegetable program was developed as a pilot project by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2002. It provides fresh produce as a supplement to the school breakfast and school lunch programs.
-- Mary MacVean
Photo: Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times
