HISD Nutrition Services kicked off another year of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) on Wednesday, Otct. 9. The USDA-funded program provides a variety of free fresh produce snacks and in-class nutrition lessons to students at elementary schools on a twice-weekly basis with the goal of introducing students to new fruits and vegetables and developing a foundation of healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.
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HISD awarded USDA farm-to-school grant to “grow a healthier, more resilient community”
In a significant step towards fostering food and agriculture literacy among students, HISD’s Nutrition Services Department has been awarded a prestigious grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support HISD’s Farm to School program.
With the previous success of innovative programs like Get Growing Houston and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, HISD Nutrition Services is committed to providing even more nutrition and agriculture literacy in HISD schools by making fresh produce and nutrition education more accessible to even more campuses.
Continue readingDedicated Food Service Attendant celebrates 50 years with HISD
HISD Nutrition Services employees and leaders gathered at Hobby Elementary School on Wednesday, Sept. 18, to surprise food service attendant Diane Fields in celebration of her 50th year with the District. Senior Executive Director of Nutrition Services Betti Wiggins presented Fields with a certificate of appreciation and an engraved award.
HISD announces meal programs for the 2024-2025 school year
HISD Nutrition Services will continue to provide breakfast and lunch service through the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP) for the 2024-2025 school year.
Most HISD students will have the opportunity to receive school breakfast and lunch meals at no charge.
Continue readingHISD middle schoolers adventure abroad with NES Dyad Travel Program
Though most students approach the end of the school year with excitement, some HISD middle schoolers had a different, very special reason to look forward to the end of May. HISD’s Dyad Travel program gave students at NES campuses the opportunity of a lifetime to jetset across the globe for a five-day journey to Tokyo, Japan. In keeping with the Dyad model put in place in NES schools, Dyad Travel aims to expose students to as many diverse experiences as possible.
Earth Day brings volunteers to HISD’s Mykawa Farm for day of service
Since its inception, Mykawa Farm has been the beating heart of the mission of HISD’s Nutrition Services Department. The headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Literacy Center (FALC), Mykawa Farm is a working educational farm where students gain not only foundational knowledge about agriculture and the environment, but have an opportunity to volunteer or work for pay, developing skills they will take with them into adulthood.
Nutrition Services welcomed more than 70 volunteers from local organizations The Mission Continues and CarMax to the farm on Saturday, April 27 (a make-up date after unexpected rains upended the original planned date, Earth Day). The volunteers set to work building arbors and trellises in the Mykawa Sensory Garden, a new fence to protect crops from scavenging animals, and new ADA-compliant picnic tables.
Continue readingFresh Fruit and Vegetable Program wraps up successful year of nutrition education in HISD
The USDA’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, more commonly known as FFVP, provides fresh fruit and vegetable snacks and nutrition education to elementary school students. Schools can request accompanying educational programs taught by chefs and registered dieticians with HISD Nutrition Services aim to teach students where their food comes from, what a balanced diet looks like, and how they can incorporate more fruits and vegetables into common recipes at home.
Continue readingHISD chefs and nutritionists make healthy cooking fun for elementary students
Since January, HISD’s Nutrition Services Department has been working closely with Berry Elementary School to bring agriculture literacy into every classroom. HISD’s Chef Brittany Jones and registered dietitians Gabby Villarreal and Nathan Raska are in the process of visiting every class at Berry and providing students a fun and educational cooking demonstration and nutrition lecture.
Continue readingTexans safety teaches HISD students about healthy eating with new book
Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward says three things helped him get to the NFL: education, sleep, and healthy eating. That’s what he told a room full of students at Askew Elementary School on Wednesday, March 6, as he presented his new children’s book, “Jimmie Ward’s Nutritional ABC’s For Active Kids”.
Continue readingHearts and Harvests: MLK Day of Service with HISD Nutrition Services
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., HISD’s Nutrition Services Department hosted 86 students at the Food and Agriculture Literacy Center at Mykawa Farm for a day of volunteering, learning, and strategizing to combat food insecurity in the HISD community on Saturday, Jan. 13. Attendees included students from Stevenson Middle School, Kashmere, Wheatley, and Worthing High School students in the Miles Ahead Scholars program, as well as the Texas A&M 4-H Global Leadership Beyond Education (G.L.O.B.E.) program.
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