To recognize the National School Lunch Program, serving nearly 30 million children each day, New Braunfels ISD schools will celebrate National School Lunch Week from October 14-18, 2024.

The fun and creative campaign theme, “School Lunch Pirates: Find Your Treasure,” highlights the importance of a healthy school lunch to a student’s success both in and out of the classroom. Research shows children are getting their healthiest meals at school. National School Lunch Week will highlight the nutritious foods available daily at NBISD schools.

National School Lunch Week is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the flavorful and nutritious foods we serve all year long and to offer a few new items for students to try! Breakfast and lunch menu items we are excited to offer this year include protein-packed chicken and veggie jambalaya with whole grain rice, scratch-made French toast casserole made with whole grain bread for fiber and eggs for protein, and homemade lean hamburger patties with plenty of veggie toppings. Regardless of the entrees offered, every campus has a “salad bar” with a selection of rotating canned and fresh fruits and fresh veggies such as baby carrots, fresh spinach, celery sticks, garbanzo beans, and burger trimmings.

In addition to serving healthy meals, our program provides nutrition education opportunities to promote awareness of the connection between health and regular fruit and vegetable intake. We display Harvest of the Month posters at campuses to highlight the flavor and health benefits of various fruits and veggies. We set up a traveling Farmer’s Market at elementary campuses so students can sample seasonal items such as red plums, sugar snap peas, blood oranges and kumquats. We also publish a monthly newsletter on the Child Nutrition website with recipes, nutrition tips and Harvest of the Month highlights.

“School lunches offer students fruits and vegetables, whole grains and milk, and meet federal nutrition standards limiting fat, calories and sodium,” said Shawn Sheets, NBISD Director of Child Nutrition. “National School Lunch Week helps us educate parents and students about all the wonderful benefits of our lunch program.”

This National School Lunch Week we are featuring new “boneless wing” flavors at the elementary and middle schools and fresh, homemade burgers (with whole grain buns, of course) at the high schools, and as always, our fresh and healthy salad bar options!

The federally funded National School Lunch Program (NSLP) has been fueling students for success for 77 years. NBISD Students can enjoy the convenience of a healthy school lunch for just $3.05 elementary, $3.30 middle school and $3.30 high school. Some students may qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Contact the Child Nutrition office at (830) 627-6742 to learn out more.

The “School Lunch Pirates: Find Your Treasure” campaign is made possible by the nonprofit School Nutrition Association. Parents and students can follow the fun on social media using the hashtags #NSLW24, #SchoolLunchPirates and #SchoolLunch.

For more information on National School Lunch Week, visit nbisd.org/department/child-nutrition or schoolnutrition.org/nslw/.