The Maryland State Department of Education's School and Community Nutrition Program receives money. It will receive $1,231,398 to give as grants to area schools participating in the National School Lunch Program.
This is all in an effort to buy school meals equipment. The money comes from the federal stimulus program, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Administrators want the money to improve the lunch program infrastructure. The grant will be used to buy equipment, improve food safety, enhance meal quality, increase energy efficiency and boosts participation in the school meals program.
"This new program offers a great opportunity for our schools," said State Superintendent of Schools Nancy Grasmick. "MSDE is looking forward to the support that the Equipment Assistance Grants will provide for the great work that the schools' Food and Nutrition Service Departments do in offering healthy meals to Maryland's students. We think this will be a catalyst to increasing participation in the child nutrition programs, thereby bringing more federal dollars into the state."
Last school year, 96.9 million nutritious meals were served to children through the School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs in Maryland.
