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Alabama Schools Celebrate National School Lunch Week (NSLW)
“Peace, Love & School Lunch” Campaign highlights #NSLW22
On October 3, 2022, school nutrition professionals and state education professionals participated in the Governor’s Proclamation Signing hour at the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery, AL.
The State of Alabama recognized the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), serving nearly 30 million children each day, with Governor Kay Ivey signing a Proclamation. Alabama schools will celebrate NSLW from October 10-14, 2022. The fun and creative campaign theme, “Peace, Love & School Lunch,” highlights the importance of a healthy school lunch to a student’s success both in and out of the classroom.
Left to right: Row 1: Ava Catherine Brandon, Student, Fort Payne City Schools; Governor Kay Ivey; Jordan Ingram, Student, Hoover City Schools
Row 2: Esther Hicks, Education Specialist II, ALSDE Staff; Julie Autrey, Education Administrator I, ALSDE Staff; Holly Brandon, Parent, Ft. Payne City Schools; Dr. Laran Adkins, Child Nutrition Director, Fork Payne City Schools; JamiLee Padgett, Child Nutrition Program Manager, Hoover City Schools; Melinda Bonner, Child Nutrition Program Director, Hoover City Schools; Angelice Lowe, State Child Nutrition Programs Director, ALSDE Staff
Row 3: Connor Johnston, Legislative Analyst, ALSDE Staff; Dr. Brandon Payne, Deputy State Superintendent Administrative and Financial Services, ALSDE Staff; Dr. Eric G. Mackey, State Superintendent, ALSDE Staff
Other ALSDE staff who attended the Governor’s Proclamation Signing for NSLW but were not pictured above were Sharon Allison, Education Specialist II; Joe Clark, Staff Accountant; Dawn Polk, Staff Accountant; Robbie Scott, Education Specialist II; Donnanique Washington, Education Specialist I; and Anna Morris, Public Affairs Liaison
Research shows children are getting their healthiest meals at school. National School Lunch Week will highlight the nutritious foods available daily in Alabama schools. Students who have lunch are better able to learn and retain information and there is less absenteeism, health problems, hunger symptoms, and psychosocial problems.
“School lunches offer students fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and milk, –many of these items have been grown locally by our Alabama farmers– and meet federal nutrition standards limiting fat, calories, and sodium. National School Lunch Week helps us educate parents and students about all the wonderful benefits of our lunch program.” said Angelice Lowe, State Child Nutrition Programs Director.
The federally funded National School Lunch Program (NSLP) has been fueling students for success for 75 years. During the 2021-2022 school year, the Alabama School Lunch Program served over 83 million lunch meals via 1,456 school sites statewide. In addition to the Governors Proclamation, the Alabama State Board of Education will also present a signed resolution acknowledging the NSLW on Thursday, October 13, 2022, to Angelice Lowe, State Child Nutrition Programs Director.
The “Peace, Love & 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 #NSLW22, #PeaceLoveSchoolLunch and #SchoolLunch. For more information on National School Lunch Week, visit https://schoolnutrition.org/nslw/.
