The Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District was awarded $180,018 in federal and state grant funding for its revamped school lunch program that enhances both the nutritional quality of the district’s cafeteria menus and its science curriculum.
The California Department of Education’s School Food Best Practice Funding grant gave $55,218 of the total grant funds for procuring California-grown whole or minimally processed foods and freshly preparing meals for the school cafeterias. “Our cafeterias not only provide fresh, made-from-scratch meals for our students and staff, they collaborate with our science electives and focus on student health and well-being,” said Superintendent Bill W. Sanderson in a press release. “These grant funds will allow us to expand our current model, focus on training our skilled cafeteria staff, and build upon the excellent work taking place in our food service department.
He was hired by the the district on a $160,000 annual contract after then LGHS assistant principal Kristina Grasty met him while on vacation in New Orleans. She worked with the the school booster clubs to raise more than $100,000 for the contract, which started in the 2019-20 school year, and for upgrades to the school kitchen.