Fresh fruit for snacks

Students at Will Rogers Learning Community, an elementary school in Santa Monica, are taking part in a federal program that provides fresh fruit or vegetable snacks twice a week.

(Students at an event to show off the snack program.)

Here are some excerpts of some letters they've written about the program:

From Tyler: "I love the new snack program. The fruits are great."

From Aliyah: "Do you have a favorite vegetable? I do. Mine is mango. Anyway, I just wanted to say how us having fruits and veggies at school changed me. ... Ever since I told my mom that we have fruits and veggies at school, she said, 'Since you're eating healthy food at school then we should start eating healthy at home. Now instead of bringing chips to school I bring grapes and all kinds of fruits and vegetables."

From Tiffany: "My favorite fruit was the green plum. It tasted sweet and sour. That's what I like."

From Anaya: "The pears are good, too, and I ate two very fast."

From Vladimir: "One time I brought those green plums home. Then my mom tried it and now our refrigerator is filled with them."

-- Mary MacVean

Photo credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times