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Today's school nutrition directors are combating the childhood obesity epidemic in lunch rooms every day, working to provide nutritional, appealing and revenue-generating food for all students.  Eight elementary schools in the Portland Public Schools are among at least 37 in Maine seeking national recognition for their above-and-beyond efforts through the USDA Healthier U.S. School Challenge.

The 37 schools submitted their applications to a regional representative of the USDA on January 13 at the winter conference of the Maine School Nutrition Association.  The mass application is the culmination of a unique workgroup process where school nutrition directors met regularly to compare experiences and best practices to improve nutrition and food appeal while generating more revenue.

The eight Portland elementary schools participating in the application are: East End, Hall, Longfellow, Nathan Clifford, Peaks Island, Presumpscot, Reiche and Riverton.

Many children today receive more than 30 percent of daily calories from school foods.  Less than 1 percent of schools nationwide achieve recognition through the USDA Healthier U.S. School Challenge.

Facilitation and support for the Maine group was funded by Walmart Foundation and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and provided by Let's Go!, a program of the Kid's CO-OP at the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center.    

"In the fight against the epidemic of childhood obesity, we have to look first at the places where students eat every day and see how we can improve them," says Karen Voci, executive director of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation.  "These dedicated school nutrition directors are essentially running small businesses with limited resources and finicky ‘customers,’ and those who are successful are truly improving the quality of the food our students receive each day at school."