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Parents and community members interested in improving school lunches in Larchmont and Marmaroneck are invited to share their ideas.
The Food Service for the Mamaroneck Union Free School district is up for contract this year and interested parents are conducting a comprehensive review of the school lunch program, according to a release from the school district.
The contract decided in 2017 will set the guidelines for school lunches at all district schools for the next five years, the release said.
The purpose of the Open Community Meeting is to examine how other schools throughout the nation are improving their lunches by offering more healthy foods, and to provide a forum for community discussion and input as the district shapes this new policy.
Amie Hamlin, executive director of the Coalition for Healthy School Food, will present ideas on how to create positive changes in the school lunch program to make lunch options healthier and more wholesome.
Following Hamlin's presentation, the floor will be opened to discuss what the community wants to see changed in the district's school food.
“All children in the district need to be offered much healthier food options, and the focus needs to be on more fresh fruit and vegetables in their diet, both cooked and raw, and supplying children with the colors of the rainbow on their plates,” said Hamlin. “As we now know, sugar harms our children. By moving away from foods that contain refined sugar or too much sodium, we can help our kids be more vibrant, have less illnesses, fewer cavities and lower obesity rates. Feeding our kids healthy food needs to be a high priority in the district.”
“We only have the month of January to make our voices heard, before a new district food service contract is designed that will determine what our children are served in our district cafeterias for the next five years,” said Alli Margoshes, PTA Wellness VP at Mamaroneck Avenue School. "Healthy, wholesome foods result in good health, better academic performance, and fewer disciplinary problems."
The meeting will begin at 6:45 p.m.
For additional information, or to become more involved in shaping the new policy, contact Margoshes at maymargoshes@verizon.net.
Those who would like to contribute ideas, but are unable to attend the meeting, can email their ideas to mamkschoolsfoodcomments@gmail.com.
Mamaroneck Avenue School is at 850 Mamaroneck Ave., Mamaroneck.
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