FAIRFIELD, IOWA — As we all know, it’s hard to stay focused when you’re hungry or not getting proper nutrition.

The Fairfield Community School District is participating in National School Lunch Week to highlight the meals they provide to keep students nourished and energized throughout the day.

“Our grains are whole grain where we have to have certain amounts of vegetables from all vegetable subgroups,” said Stephanie Hawkins, Fairfield CSD food service director. “We serve five vegetable subgroups each week in different varying sizes of service. I’m not sure that people realize that we’re down calories of the amount of sodium and all that are regulated by the USDA and so what we’re giving our students is the best nutrition that they can get for the day.”

Although students receive USDA-regulated meals and portions, nothing compares to the taste and quality of a homemade meal.

Hawkins highlights the benefits of offering some homemade items, emphasizing how they enhance both the flavor and nutritional value of the meals served to students.

“We just had a P.D. day with our staff where we worked on some scratch recipes, looking at them, trying them out, making changes,” said Hawkins. “If we needed to because we’re trying to lower that sodium as well. So we’re going to be having a case of chicken chili coming up on our menus. We have homemade ranch now which has decreased our sodium just tremendously.”

Hawkins shared that the district sources fruits and vegetables from local farms, providing students with fresh, homegrown food while also supporting the local farming community.
Additionally, the district’s summer meal program has been a great success, serving 89,000 students this past summer to ensure they receive nutritious meals even when school is not in session.