Episode 151: School Food Changes Lives
About the Podcast
When you mention the words “school food,” people have opinions. In this episode, we talk about all the hot button issues from free school meals for all students to what it takes to operate on a shoestring foodservice budget. Rachel Murphy-Veins, the Director of Food & Nutrition Services for the Syracuse City School District, shares this and more!
About Rachel Murphy-Veins
Rachel Murphy-Veins is the Director of Food and Nutrition Services for the Syracuse City School District. She is responsible for operating the USDA child nutrition programs such as the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Summer Food Service Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program within the Syracuse City School District. These programs feed 21,000 students.
In addition, she is responsible for coordinating the local Blessings in a Backpack Program which provides supplemental meals for food insecure students over the weekend and is a member of the school wellness steering committee.
She has an active role in the community supporting advocacy efforts surrounding local farming, child hunger and childhood obesity prevention efforts. Rachel graduated from Syracuse University in 2004 where she also completed her Dietetic internship.
Discussion Takeaways
- School Food and Nutrition Services have a unique opportunity to support their communities and do the work of food equity and food justice. These programs are ensuring that children are leaving school not just academically nourished, but physically nourished.
- The Food and Nutrition Services department of the Syracuse City School District is making an intentional effort to connect local farmers to the school food system. This effort not only benefits students nutritionally but supports the local economy and local agriculture.
- Many packaged/processed foods served in school meals—like cereal or breakfast pastries—are specially formulated, fortified with extra vitamins and minerals to enhance their nutrition profile. The recipe used to make the packaged/processed foods served in the school system is different than the recipe for the product that is found at the local grocery store. While this difference brings nutritional benefits, it can be confusing for students and families.
- In the Syracuse City School District, the School Food and Nutrition Services department emphasizes variety, whole foods and healthy foods, with the goal of preparing more meals by scratch and semi-scratch cooking methods.
- The goal of the Food and Nutrition Services department in the Syracuse City School District is to cultivate an appetite for healthy eating in kids and help them create healthy habits that will last into adulthood and positively impact their future health.
- If you are a parent with children in the food system and you have feedback for school meals, speak up! Feedback from students and parents is extremely helpful and can inform future menus.
- The current reimbursement rate for the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs requires school food service programs to operate on extremely tight budgets. Reimbursement rates not only cover food purchases but are also used to pay staff, purchase equipment, pay employee benefits, etc.
- This current model is not what is best for children. Reimbursement rates are too low, and it creates a huge strain on school food service programs.
- Many of the challenges of running a school food service program would be alleviated with the implementation of Universal Free Meals for All.
- During COVID, universal free meals were implemented nationally and a tremendous benefit was seen for students and school food service programs. It has been a challenge for schools, and students, to transition back to not being able to offer free meals for all.
- During COVID, the Syracuse City School District Food and Nutrition Services department spearheaded food rescue for the community. Partnering with their local food bank, dairy association and other food suppliers that were experiencing disrupted supply chains, the school food service program was able to rescue food, create meals packs for families and distribute to the community.
- This experience highlighted to Rachel how vital school meal programs are to the community--the community relies on school meal programs and when these programs are taken away, hunger increases.
- School Food and Nutrition programs are vital for children. These programs need to be protected, and more resources need to be channeled toward them.
- School Food Service Programs should be identified as key partners in food rescue, food dignity and hunger solutions. Beyond providing school meals, school food service programs should cultivate community partnerships and push for policy and advocacy to reduce hunger.
- As part of the Syracuse City School District Hunger Action Plan, the Food & Nutrition Services department continues to partner with the charitable food network to provide weekend backpacks of foods for students at risk for hunger, identify homeless students and provide additional food, as well as host pop up food distributions in partnership with the Food Bank of Central New York.
- Every student in the Syracuse City School District receives free meals, due to a community eligibility provision. The experience has been exceeding beneficial to students and the school food service team, inspiring a passion in Rachel to advocate for Universal Free Meals for every school.
#1 tip to improve access to healthy food
Free food at school for students should be a right.
Each week on the Food Dignity® Podcast, the Food Dignity® Movement’s Clancy Harrison hosts a wide variety of hunger experts and other people making changes on the frontlines. Join us as we dive deep into conversations that will change the way you think about food insecurity.
Listen to our trailer!
Want to learn more about how we might work together?
Fight hidden hunger by becoming a
Food Dignity® Champion and take the HIDDEN HUNGER PLEDGE >