More fruits and veggies in store for students


 


PINE PLAINS — Thanks to a grant received this month by the Pine Plains Central School District from the state’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), Seymour Smith Elementary School students will be served fresh fruit and vegetable snacks during the coming school year.

According to district Superintendent Linda Kaumeyer, the FFVP grant of $23,000 is to purchase fruits and vegetables.

"I applaud the proactive efforts for the school to enhance its lunch program," Kaumeyer said. "This will also be an additional boost to the local economy because we will be purchasing the fruits and vegetables locally. We especially applaud the efforts of District Food Service Director Janice Hack, who helped to obtain these funds."

According to a press release from Kaumeyer, the goals of the FFVP are to create healthier school environments by providing healthier food choices and to encourage nutritious snacking. The FFVP believes that fruits and vegetables make a difference in children's diets and can have a positive impact on their present and future health.

A study at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/ indicates that, between 2003-2006, 16.3 percent of children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years were obese.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture at mypyramid.gov/KIDS/, children between 2 and 6 should eat three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit each day. Children over 6 should have from three to five servings of vegetables and two to four servings of fruit each day.

"Now, I’m not a dietary expert, but I do know that fruits and vegetables are an important part of everyone’s diet, young and old," Board of Education President Helene McQuade said. "I think this is a wonderful boon to the school to enable them to provide nutritious meals for the students. We all should eat more fruits and vegetables."

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