All students, regardless of their school or family income, deserve access to meals cooked from scratch to feel full and energized, allowing them to learn, play, and succeed. Food education helps kids learn about where our food comes from, how to eat nutritiously, ways to prevent food waste, and more.
In 2022, Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) and Seattle Public Schools (SPS) Culinary Services partnered to create the School Meals & Food Education Working Group. The group consists of about 25 participants from SPS, the City, Public Health Seattle King County, United Way of King County, student leaders, and local organizations that work with SPS and serve Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC).
After hearing directly from students, the Working Group released a report in 2024 with three priority recommendations for improving school meals and food education. SPS and local partners have been making progress on the recommendations, and we wanted to help share the good news happening across our city!
(1) Providing more high-quality school meals
SPS Culinary Services is rolling out new culturally relevant menu items to better meet students’ preferences and diverse backgrounds. New dishes include stuffed sweet potatoes, chile relleno burritos, tofu noodle salad, and more! Check out SPS’ website to see current school lunch menus.
The 2022 Educational Programs & Operations Levy helped SPS purchase new equipment for its central kitchen, including an industrial food processor to slice and dice large volumes of fresh produce.
SPS also started using more locally and sustainably sourced ingredients thanks to Washington State Department of Agriculture Farm to School Grants from 2022 to 2024. SPS has ordered foods from BIPOC-owned businesses — plums from AG Family Farm, jam and honey from Sidhu Farms, and squash from IRC New Roots. These types of local investments help boost Seattle’s local food system and economy.
None of this work would be possible without the school lunch heroes in the kitchens and cafeterias across the district. A special thank you to SPS staff for fueling our youth!
(2) Increasing access to school meals for all students
At several schools, SPS provides free breakfast and lunch to all students through the National School Lunch Program’s Community Eligibility Provision, which helps provide free meals to schools located in low-income areas. This program helps families in need by not requiring them to fill out additional paperwork for their children to access meals at school.
Visit SPS’ website for the most current list of schools covered by the Provision. For students at schools without free meals, learn more about Free and Reduced Lunch and other food programs primarily funded by the National School Lunch Program.
(3) Expanding food and garden education
SPS partners with community organizations to give students hands-on food and garden education. Volunteers, teachers, parents and educators maintain school gardens for students to enjoy through the School Learning Garden Network. Check out the Network’s webpage for springtime workshops.
Nurturing Roots, a thriving urban farm and community program focused on self-sufficiency and food justice has led food and nutrition workshops at more than 15 schools thanks to funding from the City and a 2024 U.S. Department of Agriculture “Farm to School” grant. The grant has supported student field trips with the Tilth Alliance to learn at the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands, a 10-acre urban farm in South Seattle with educators on staff.
The funding also helped SPS’ Native American Education and Social-Emotional Learning programs continue teacher trainings provided by the Native Plants and Foods Institute. These trainings equip teachers with nature-based emotional learning strategies that connect people with ecosystems and are rooted in Native knowledge, stories, and traditions in the Pacific Northwest.
Continuing the collaborative effort
The Working Group is continuing to collaborate to ensure every student has high quality meals and food education. Learn more on OSE’s website and check out the Working Group’s report.
Other community organizations that have participated in the Working Group not already mentioned include FEEST, Y-WE Grow, EarthGen, Northwest Harvest, Seattle Restaurants United, Nourishian for Life, Solid Ground, Chinese Information Service Center, District 7 PTA, and Seattle Council PTSA. We appreciate our fellow City departments involved – Human Services, Education & Early Learning, and Public Utilities. As well as additional SPS departments, including Liberatory Education, Resource Conservation, and Volunteer Enhancement Projects.
Follow OSE on Instagram to get good news food stories in collaboration with FEEST this spring season!