Greenwood Hosts Parents for School Lunch Week
A father helps his son during lunch at Greenwood Elementary School.
It’s National School Lunch Week and the DMPS Food & Nutrition Department is marking the occasion in lots of ways. Student interns from Iowa State University developed promotions including posters created by students, bulletin board decorating contests and school visits by local sports team mascots/players.
Greenwood Elementary decided to make it a family affair on Wednesday. Parents were invited to “do lunch” with their children and enjoy a menu that featured produce from Iowa family farms. Chili with “homegrown” black beans; cupcakes made with aronia berries; corn muffins and cherry tomatoes; zucchini from the Wallace Center (Iowa icon Henry A. Wallace started the federal school lunch program when he was Secretary of Agriculture during the administration of FDR.).
“More than 150 parents signed up to come eat with their students,” said Greenwood principal Eric Huinker as he watched the cafeteria fill up like a maître d at a four-star restaurant on Saturday night.
Besides the fresh chow you couldn’t beat the price or the “sobremesa,” a Spanish term for table talk following a meal.
Helping whet the appetites was a Nutrition Fair going on just down the hall.
The Iowa Dairy Princess was there. So were dietitians and personal trainers from Hy-Vee and DMPS Executive Chef Chad Taylor.
Kids played Wheel of Portions, dropped on the floor to compete in pushups and got slapped with stickers and temp tats that carried the message of nutritious food as the fuel of child development.
Lunch was going to be a hard act to follow. Too bad Bistro Greenwood is closed in the evenings.
