Bright Local Schools joined other schools, early care sites, hospitals, universities, state agencies, and non-profit organizations across the Great Lakes Region recently to celebrate National Farm to School Month by crunching into local apples for the Fifth Annual Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch.
More than 1.4 million students, children, food service staff, health care workers, teachers, and others registered for the annual event, with Crunches occurring at more than 4,236 locations across Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana.
Bright Local celebrated the Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch by providing every student with an apple for lunch. A local dentist provided floss and dental care information at the high school. The elementary school had a representative from the health department who helped the children understand a healthy meal. The school district had other apple related activities that the students enjoyed.
Students have also appreciated locally grown watermelons, tomatoes and apples with their lunches. The fresh fruits and vegetables are a welcome addition to their menu.
This collective Apple Crunch encourages and celebrates the use of healthy, Ohio-grown foods in cafeterias across the state. The participants crunched together to support local farmers, to grow healthy eaters, and to build strong community across the state and region.
Submitted by Debbie Robertson, food service director, Bright Local School District.
