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No fruit and veggie funds granted for B.A. Kennedy

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By Correne Martin

Free and reduced meal recipients at B.A. Kennedy Elementary School in Prairie du Chien make up 60 percent of the student body. Yet, the school did not receive its USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable grant for the 2016-2017 school year, as it has for the last four or five years. So administration and staff are reaching out to the community for contributions to better the lives of its 275 students in 3K through 1st grade.

“The state of Wisconsin is seeing an increase in applications for the grant as well as data regarding free and reduced percentages, and that makes the threshold for us to get in that much more difficult,” Principal Laura Stuckey said. “Maybe our free and reduced count wasn’t quite as high as it has been. We’ve been so spoiled by this the last few years so, to not have it, it’s certainly a disappointment.”

The purpose of the fresh fruit and vegetable grant is to cover the costs associated with providing healthy snacks in each classroom at B.A. Kennedy three times per week, rather than asking parents to bring in snacks, which may or may not be as healthy.

“Life is busy; we all know that. While we all love Goldfish (crackers), they aren’t quite as healthy as snap peas and bananas,” Stuckey laughed. “We also believe in the importance of introducing good, healthy snacks into the routines of our students. We have seen the benefits and we want to continue to offer this opportunity.”

Two benefits the school has seen are the students’ abilities to simply recognize healthy choices, as well as the increase in healthy options students are taking and eating at lunch time. Fresh fruit and vegetables will continue to be available to students every day for lunch.

Though B.A. Kennedy did not receive the grant for snacks, the school is hoping local citizens, businesses, parents and grandparents will help fill the gap by giving financial donations toward the costs of fresh fruit and vegetable offerings. Stuckey said $10,000 should help make that happen.

A Go Fund Me account was started and can be accessed via the elementary school’s Facebook page or by visiting www.gofundme.com/2puhkt3b. Donations can be made directly from that page or by calling the school at 326-3700. Checks can be made payable to the B.A. Kennedy Club Account. Please include a name and address so contributions can be recognized.

“Our goal right now is to keep things where we were,” she noted. Stuckey explained that the district’s food service director, Donna Heilmann, calculated the costs associated with three afternoon snacks a week to include the most popular choices of the elementary students. That list includes produce like cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, tomatoes, snap peas, apples, bananas, grapes, oranges, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon and pineapple.

As of press time Monday morning, the school had raised $1,225 on its Go Fund Me account.

If B.A. Kennedy is unable to reach its goal, the administration may look at other avenues to address its desires. “Maybe we could do it just two days a week, or we could offer some less expensive fruit and vegetable options that may or may not be as popular.”

Parents of B.A. Kennedy students will continue to supplement snacks for their child’s classroom, if all goes well, just two days a week. For the moment, parents are encouraged to select healthy options when possible and as they can afford them.

In the spring, Heilmann will once again apply for the fresh fruit and vegetable grant.

Bluff View Intermediate School did receive the USDA grant; however, they have a different free and reduced percentage and they apply among a different pool of applicants.

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