West Chester, Pennsylvania (August 28, 2024) – State Senator Carolyn Comitta and US Representative Chrissy Houlahan announced today that students at four elementary schools in the Coatesville Area School District will have access to fresh fruit and vegetable snacks during the school day thanks to federal funding.
The grant funds, provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) and administered through the Pennsylvania Department of Education, are as follows:
- Caln Elementary School will receive $29,766.
- East Fallowfield Elementary School will receive $21,450.
- Rainbow Elementary School will receive $45,936.
- Reeceville Elementary School will receive $24,222.
“Young people need nutritious food to fuel their learning and growth. By introducing students to fresh fruit and vegetable snacks during the school day, we hope to steer them toward healthy eating habits in the long run,” said Comitta, a former public school teacher who serves on the Senate Education Committee.
“As a former educator, I have seen first-hand what happens when students come to school hungry,” added Representative Houlahan. “Hunger compromises a child’s healthy development and their ability to engage with their education. While we continue to work on a number of issues related to education, this specific USDA funding will measurably and meaningfully improve students’ ability to learn, and that is always an investment worth making.”
The goal of the FFVP is to create healthier school environments by providing healthier food choices, expanding the variety of fruits and vegetables that students can try, increasing the consumption of unprocessed food, and positively impacting students’ present and future health. Additionally, it promotes nutrition education among students.
“Access to healthy food options gives our students the fuel they need in order to learn, grow, and achieve,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program helps learners across the Commonwealth access nutritious foods and create healthy habits that benefit them both in the classroom and at home – at no cost to students or their families.”
The program, implemented in Pennsylvania in 2004 and now available in all 50 states, has successfully introduced elementary school children to a variety of produce that they otherwise might not have the opportunity to try. According to the USDA, it also helps combat childhood obesity by increasing the overall acceptance and consumption of healthier food alternatives among children.
Under the program, selected schools receive reimbursement for the cost of making free fresh fruits and vegetables available to students during the school day. These fresh fruits and vegetables must be provided separately from the lunch or breakfast meal, in one or more areas of the school during the school day.
To be eligible, schools must participate in the National School Lunch Program. FFVP prioritizes schools with the highest percentage of children eligible for free and reduced-price meals in order to give children from low-income families more opportunities to regularly consume fresh produce.
The funding for CASD schools comes as part of nearly $7.3 million in total grant funding awarded to 268 schools across the Commonwealth under the FFVP. The list of awardees can be found on PDE’s website.
This funding is in addition to the universal free breakfast program, which makes breakfast available to 1.7 million students across Pennsylvania. Since its implementation two years ago, the program has served more than 23 million breakfasts to students across the Commonwealth.