SANDPOINT — Elementary school students in the Lake Pend Oreille and West Bonner School District will continue to explore fresh fruit and vegetables thanks to state-issued grants.

The yearly grants in support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program will supply $79,191 in total to four LPOSD elementary schools and $32,367 to two WBCSD elementary schools. Bobbie Coleman, LPOSD’s Director of Child Nutrition, and Terri Johnson, WBSCD’s Director of Child Nutrition, said the program helps young students build healthy habits, while exploring a range of fruits and vegetables. 

"It helps to increase consumption because they have a better understanding of what the varieties are,” Coleman said. “The program encourages them to try new foods, set healthy eating patterns and positively impact their present and future health.” 

At LPOSD schools, students through sixth grade try fruits and vegetables Wednesday and Thursday following lunch service. Coleman said each student is given a two-to-three-ounce cup of the item and a short lesson from their teacher on its background. 

In WBCSD schools, students are served the produce Monday through Thursday during recess, Johnson said.  

Students get the chance to taste more exotic fruits, like kiwis, in addition to exploring different flavors of common fruits like apples and bell peppers. Coleman said pineapple is always a favorite among students, who do tend to prefer the sweeter fruits to the vegetable offerings. 

"If we just had exotic things throughout the school year, we wouldn’t have enough money to provide it all school year long, so we typically try to do one fruit and one vegetable every week,” Coleman said. “We do try to stick to things we like because we want them to try them.” 

The schools in the county taking part in the program are Farmin Stidwell, Hope Elementary, Kootenai Elementary, Southside Elementary, Idaho Hill Elementary and Priest River Elementary. To receive the grant, districts must apply by school and get an amount based on enrollment of students from a low-income background. 

Johnson said the program is key for these students, whose parents might not be able to afford fresh produce. 

“Produce can be expensive and there's families that struggle to get that,” Johnson said. It’s nice to be able to have this program and provide that for our kids.” 

LPOSD also announced a partnership between Food For Our Children and the Kinderhaven Foundation which will provide reduced lunch for students at all schools in the district from lower income households.  

Kinderhaven originally awarded FFOC a $372,000 grant split evenly over two years to help pay for school lunches. FFOC committed to matching the donation through its own resources and donations, bringing the total donation to LPOSD to $744,000 over the next two years. 

"I cannot overstate the importance of this donation,” Dr. Becky Meyer, LPOSD Superintendent said. “Students, at the very least, must have food in their belly before they are able to focus at school and be ready to learn.”  

Meyer said food at school is a foundational necessity, and that district is extremely grateful for the donation. LPOSD’s childhood nutrition office will oversee the program, using the USDA’s federal school nutrition program’s methodology.  

Coleman said she has seen an increase in elementary students taking fruit or vegetables during meal periods after taking part in the USDA fresh fruits and vegetables program. Johnson said she would like to see the program expand past elementary schools. 

"I know they’re talking about cutting programs across the nation, and I hope that can stay because I think it’s very important for our kids,” Johnson said. “Not just in West Bonner, but in Lake Pend Oreille, Boundary, everywhere. It’s so important.”