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GUSD Summer Food Program nationally recognized by USDA award
Goleta, CA – April 8th, 2024 Goleta Union School District’s Summer Food Services Program (SFSP) was recently awarded a gold certificate in the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) Turnip the Beet Program 2023. This national award recognizes summer meal program sponsors who offer high quality, nutritious, and appetizing lunches during the summer months.
“Our first priority of operating a summer food service program is to make sure that the kids in our community have a place to go and eat during the summer,” said GUSD Food Services Director, Hannah Carroll. “It’s common for summer feeding programs, especially during the pandemic, to serve a lot of pre-packaged foods. We made enough of our favorite scratch cook foods in the Spring and froze it to reheat for the summer program. We incorporated more foods that we make in our Central Kitchen and more semi-scratch meals.”
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the USDA recognized 140 school districts, nonprofits, and government agencies for either a gold, silver, or bronze certificate. GUSD was one of seven California school districts awarded gold.
Information needed in the nomination included how age appropriate, and how culturally appropriate meals are served, how student feedback was voiced about said meals, and how programs positively promote healthy food options. Our SFSP menu was evaluated on criteria judging our fruit, vegetable, and whole grain availability, diversity in foods offered, and local sourcing of ingredients.
GUSD SFSP is open to all children 18 & under in the community, regardless if enrolled in our sponsored GUSD Essential Care Summer Thrive Program.