Methuen Faculties Obtain College Diet Basis Grant for New Kitchen Gear

The School Nutrition Foundation (SNF), the non-profit organization of the non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA), has named Robert Frati, Food Service Director of Methuen Public Schools in Methuen, MA, a recipient of the SNSF Winston Equipment Grant for equipment for school feeding programs. In view of the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic, school nutritionists across the country applied for SNSF equipment grants in autumn 2020. All competed for over $ 65,000 worth of new equipment to support their school feeding programs.

Frati applied for the equipment grant to replace the aging equipment his employees use to feed the district’s 7,000 students. In just three years, the district has spent more than $ 390,000 on repairs or purchases of kitchen appliances. Frati plans to use this scholarship to replace a pair of double-stack ovens and two steamers that originally came from Marsh Grammar School and the Comprehensive Grammar School’s 30-year-old kitchens that are in constant need of repair.

Due to inefficient and outdated kitchen appliances, additional labor had to be provided at two schools, which also increases operating costs compared to newer appliances. The staff must plan the menus based on the functioning devices. Frati believes that with the right kitchen equipment, staff can plan more innovative menus, increase the number of options created from scratch, and add satellite locations across the district to increase student participation.

“The benefits of new kitchen appliances are great, such as better performance and reliability, easy cleaning, and compliance with health regulations,” said Frati. “Due to the age of the devices, special considerations have to be made. Menu items that should be prepared in minutes can sometimes take hours – reheating frozen corn in the steamer can take up to an hour. Sometimes we had to buy prepared food instead of cooking it ourselves, which increases our food costs. “

School feeding programs operate on extremely tight budgets funded by cafeteria sales and reimbursements for meals served. With sales declining due to the closure of COVID-19 schools and the switch between distance learning and hybrid models, many school lunches are lacking critical resources to purchase the necessary equipment and supplies, or transportation, temporary labor and other costs related to current COVID-19 Cover nutritional programs.

“Reliable and proper kitchen equipment is critical to helping school nutritionists prepare and serve quality meals that nourish young people,” said Julia Bauscher, Chair of the School Nutrition Foundation, SNS. “These grants help replace or upgrade equipment to support efficient kitchens and successful school feeding programs.”

SNSF and Winston Foodservice have worked together for more than a decade to bring 10 new Winston devices to a happy school district. Once awarded, Frati will work with a Winston Foodservice representative to determine what best fits the school district’s needs for the upcoming school year.

About the School Nutrition Foundation:

The School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) is a 501 (c) (3) and sister organization of the School Nutrition Association. SNSF awards grants and grants to men and women who feed the country’s schoolchildren. The 2021 SNF Equipment Grants are made possible by generous contributions from Vulcan and Hobart (departments of the ITW Food Equipment Group), Winston Foodservice, CMA Dishwashers, Innoseal Systems, Cambro Manufacturing, Sterno Delivery Equipment, Lakeside Manufacturing Equipment, TekVisions and Unox Equipment.

About the School Nutrition Association:
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national, nonprofit professional organization that represents 50,000 school nutritionists across the country. SNA and its members were founded in 1946 and are committed to providing healthy school meals and nutritional education to all students. For more information on school meals, visit www.SchoolNutrition.org/SchoolMeals.

ValleyPatriot

The Valley Patriot is a free monthly print newspaper for northern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. The print edition appears on the 10th of each month and is distributed to 51 cities.

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