Dietitian Jennifer Griffin Lengyel advices a parent during a community outreach event at Elrod Elementary School.

HISD Nutrition Services has been awarded a second grant from the Oliver Foundation, a local organization dedicated to preventing childhood obesity. The award will help the department to promote, educate, and encourage HISD students to adopt healthy eating habits.

Nutrition Services received $3,000 from the Oliver Foundation last October and partnered with Davis High School’s culinary program to teach nutrition education to fellow students. The Oliver Foundation awarded $5,000 this year to Nutrition Services to continue its efforts.

“Empowering the students through education is an effective way of instructing other students to eat healthier,” said HISD Nutrition Education Dietician Jennifer Griffin-Lengyel.

The new grant will be used to purchase another demonstration cart, allowing Nutrition Services to double its outreach efforts, menu samplings, and health fair participation.

“This will be full-on professional demonstration cooking carts,” said Lengyel. “We want to engage the community with a fun environment to learn and try new foods.”