Students from Saint Athanasius Catholic School.
Nutritional Development Services (NDS) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia celebrated National School Lunch Week (NSLW) October 14-18, 2024. This year’s theme was “School Lunch Pirates: Find Your Treasure.”
Created in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy, NSLW promotes the importance of a healthy school lunch in a child’s life and its holistic impact. The campaign is made possible by the non-profit School Nutrition Association.
“National School Lunch Week provides a great opportunity to highlight the importance of school lunches,” said David Stier, Assistant Director of Community Relations for NDS. “It is critical to the students in the five-county region. Parents can depend on school lunches to provide their children access to the calories and nutrients that they need each day.”
NDS sponsors the federally funded National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in locations throughout the Philadelphia region to ensure that more than 28,000 students have access to a healthy, nourishing lunch each school day.
In honor of NSLW, NDS held a special celebration at Saint Athanasius Catholic School in the West Oak Lane section of Northwest Philadelphia.
Ms. Jean Falk, a Registered Dietician and Administrator of Food Safety for NDS, spoke to the students about the importance of eating a healthy, nourishing meal. The students also watched a video their classmates made discussing the benefits of school lunches.
“NDS has been partnering with St. Athanasius School to provide students with healthy meals for almost 30 years,” added Stier.
Saint Athanasius is one of 102 school buildings throughout the five-county metropolitan area that has partnered with NDS for the 2024-2025 academic year to make the National School Lunch Program available at their location.
97% of the students receive their wholesome, nourishing meals at no cost. NSLP is operated nationally by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In our region, it is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
NDS also celebrated NSLW by hosting a “Placemat & Slogan Contest” for students grades K-12 who are recipients of their School Meal Program. The annual competition employs student-made artwork to debut on NDS breakfast and lunch tray liners. This year, NDS received hundreds of submissions totaling the most they have ever received.
Each participant was asked to hand draw in black or dark ink an original artwork that encourages healthy eating and physical activity.
Winners of the three age categories hailed from Mother of Divine Grace Interparochial School, Our Lady of Hope School, and Mercy Career & Technical High School.
In addition to having their designs printed on breakfast and lunch tray liners, winners also received an award certificate and a gift card.
K-2nd Category: Mackenzie J. from Mother of Divine Grace School
3rd – 6th Category: Michael R. from Our Lady of Hope School
7th – 12th Category: Kenneth T. from Mercy Career & Technical High School
For over 50 years, NDS’ mission has been to serve children and those in need with healthy food and food-related resources. NDS accomplishes its mission in two distinct ways: by administering the federally-funded child nutrition programs and through the privately supported Community Food Program.
To learn more about NDS, check out their website here.
