“Level Up with School Lunch” Campaign Highlights #NSLW23
MARION COUNTY – Marion County Public Schools (MCPS) celebrates National School Lunch Week this week (Oct. 9-13). Each school day, over 33,000 local students and nearly 30 million students nationwide enjoy healthy meals at school.
In fact, MCPS reached an all-time record on Sept. 13, 2023 – 33,196 student meals served in a single day. As well, so far this school year, the number of meals served in MCPS is up 9% over last August for lunch and up 8.5% for breakfast.
This year’s National School Lunch Week theme, “Level Up with School Lunch,” highlights the importance of a healthy school lunch to a student’s success both in and out of the classroom.
Research shows children receive their healthiest meals at school. National School Lunch Week highlights the nutritious foods available daily in Marion County Public Schools’ cafeterias, including customizable menu options meeting United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines to provide healthy meals to students.
“School lunches offer students fruits and vegetables, whole grains and milk, and meet federal nutrition standards limiting fat, calories and sodium,” said Ramona Belcher, supervisor of MCPS Food and Nutrition Services Department.
“National School Lunch Week helps us educate parents and students about all the wonderful benefits of our lunch program,” she added.
Parents and families can “push play” and join students by eating lunch in their child’s local school cafeteria. Game rules to beat each level include:
- Win level one by visiting your school cafeteria. Join students for lunch each day to be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a gift card.
- Help unlock a new level by enjoying new foods. The Food and Nutrition Services team will visit schools throughout the District, conducting taste tests on new ingredients to determine if they should be added to the menu. This means students and families are helping design what MCPS puts on the menu.
- Get the full gaming experience by checking out posters and materials in each cafeteria.
The federally-funded National School Lunch Program has fueled students for success for 77 years. Students across the district are welcome to join any MCPS cafeteria for free breakfast and lunch every day.
The “Level Up with School Lunch” campaign is made possible by the nonprofit School Nutrition Association and Kellogg’s. Parents and students can follow the fun on social media using the hashtags #NSLW23, #LevelUpWithSchoolLunch, and #SchoolLunch.
For more information, contact the MCPS Food and Nutrition Services Department at 352.671.4190 or visit https://schoolnutrition.org/nslw/.