TRAVERSE CITY — Every school day at Long Lake Elementary School, Principal Terri Sheldon watches students line up for a lunch buffet of oranges, grapes, cucumbers, cauliflower, tomatoes and broccoli.
Sheldon is thankful, she said, for the fresh, healthy food options. She knows if it weren't for a free and reduced cost meal program, at least some of her students wouldn't have access to the bounty.
"I'm so glad we have it for the kids, and I'm thrilled at the healthier direction of the foods," Sheldon said, adding "in years past, we saw more fried foods."
This year, according to newly released Traverse City Area Public Schools statistics, 39 percent of students who use the district's food service receive free or reduced cost meals under the National School Lunch Program.
The number of students enrolled in the program dropped slightly since 2011,when 4,529 students, or 41 percent, were enrolled. But over the last five years, officials said students enrolled for free and reduced cost meals jumped by 25 percent — from 3,467 in 2007, to 4,327 so far this year.
The numbers, they said, are clear proof that more families in northern Michigan struggle to pay for food for their kids, and more turn to free and reduced cost meals at school.
"Since the economic downturn, it's ticked up," said Gary Derrigan, TCAPS food service director. "As the economy picks up again, we will see that reduction. It's historical."
But this year, TCAPS officials said a new federal mandate that requires healthier foods and bigger servings of those foods has made eating at school better for children of low-income families. The U.S. government requires students to take either a fruit or vegetable with their meal in order for schools to get reimbursed from the federal government, and anecdotal observations from principals convinced them that more students are eating better.
"We are noticing they really like it, and they are taking the food that's good for them," Sheldon said.
The movement to offer healthier food options across America comes as Michigan faces the unenviable ranking of being the fifth most obese state in the nation, according to a new study. The study from the advocacy group Trust for America's Health said more than 12 percent of Michigan high school students are fat.
Such numbers translate into increased risk for diabetes and other obesity-related illnesses, and TCAPS officials are exploring new programs to feed students. The district is in the second year of a pilot program at Traverse Heights and Blair elementary schools that supplies breakfast and lunch free to all students regardless of family income.
The purpose of the federally funded pilot is to test whether offering free meals can be cheaper than paying for some costs of the free and reduced program, in which parents have to fill out applications documenting their income level and district administrators have to process the paperwork.
"We don't have all the applications and paperwork," Derrigan said of the pilot program. "It's a lot easier to deal with. We just claim the meals, but either way we are providing a lot more fresh fruits and veggies, and when you look at the numbers, we are offering better choices to children and families."
Traverse Heights Principal Amy Six-King said the pilot program offers "a healthier experience for children and a time-saving experience" for parents.
"We are also educating kids about nutrition throughout the day," Six-King said. "When they are eating our daily lunch, I have conversations with children about healthy eating, that it boosts their immune system, and I get a lot of questions back about, 'What's an immune system?' and I explain it."
Derrigan said TCAPS is committed to healthier food options and also getting more fresh, locally grown foods in schools.
"We are seeing a pendulum swing, a new regimen, and a healthier approach," Derrigan said.
Region
Related Photos
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Students gather for lunch in the cafeteria at Long Lake Elementary School. Record-Eagle/Keith King
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Lunch trays are prepared as students gather in the cafeteria at Long Lake Elementary School. Record-Eagle/Keith King
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Free and reduced lunches at Traverse City Area Public Schools. Record-Eagle graphic/Pat Putney
Kids eat healthier at local schools
Reduced cost programs give more access to fruits, vegetables
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