By SARIT LASCHINSKY

Special to The Press

In addition to reviewing business items for approval at their meeting, the Northwestern Lehigh School Board received a food service update presentation from The Nutrition Group at their Oct. 6 workshop.

The district partnered with the food and facilities management company earlier in the year to provide additional meal offerings and services to students and staff.

Rebecca Smith, the district’s food service director from The Nutrition Group, and company Vice President Mary Filler provided an update on the start of the new school year.

Smith presented average counts for the lunch and elementary breakfast services at the district’s schools for 2021, and highlighted the increased numbers compared to 2020.

She said students are actively participating in the free lunches provided through the district by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is providing free meals to all students for the 2021-22 school year and possibly beyond.

Regarding training and special events, Smith said the district’s food service staff have already gone through professional development and the required training needed to serve students, and also have reviewed recipes for the year.

She noted some staff members had received pizza training in the high school kitchen on how to make homemade pizzas, which Smith said is their “trademark” for high school and middle school students.

Furthermore, Smith said the district’s schools have received serving line enhancements, such as hanging new posters or moving around equipment to even out the distribution between buildings.

She also said staff members will receive new uniforms to wear for the current school year.

On the topic of food, Smith said homemade pizzas are served at the high school and middle school, where students have pizza as an option every day along with hot main entrees, hot sandwiches, several cold options, veggie bars and more.

She said elementary school students are offered two hot and two cold entrees per day.

Smith also highlighted several pictures of the meal options available in the cafeterias.

For the elementary breakfast service, Smith said the meals are bagged “grab-and-go” options which include cold items such as yogurt, as well as grain and fruit offerings and milk.

Looking forward, Smith said The Nutrition Group will be looking to work on a variety of new projects including baked goods, farm-to-fork items and food fusion meals.

She said in 2021-22 they will be doing special events such as “recipe of the month” or other homemade options.

Smith also told the board she would attend Youth Advisory Committee and Parent Advisory Committee meetings, as well as PTO meetings to answer parent questions about the lunch program.

She would also speak with students to obtain feedback and suggestions on how to improve meals and food service.

Assistant Superintendent Troy Sosnovik said that during the first month of school, The Nutrition Group and food service staff have been very busy.

Sosnovik told the board he thought “extremely highly” of the organization and its relationship with the school district.

He noted there have been staffing issues, “like everywhere in food services,” but added The Nutrition Group’s members have stepped in on-site to prepare food, serve and work with district staff, and provide support through the shortages.

He said students have been very appreciative of the expanded menu choices, as well as the taste of the food.

“They’ve been absolutely fantastic,” Sosnovik concluded. “From my perspective, it’s been a very positive start to this relationship.”

In response to a question from board President Willard Dellicker regarding how many students are taking advantage of the free breakfast,

Smith said, on average, 80-90 students were being served each day.

She also said breakfast is being provided in the cafeteria to give students the chance to sit and eat before leaving for class.

Furthermore, in response to questions about whether the food service numbers are in-line with previous expectations, Smith said due to the federally-funded free school meals this year, as opposed to a paid, free, reduced-price program, participation is higher.

She added while the current participation numbers exceed what was originally provided for in the budget, there is likely still more room to grow and expand.