Local Parents Advocating For Their Children's Health and Nutrition

The vendor contract is up for bid for Child Nutrition Services.
Chartwells has carried the contract for the last five (count them) years.

This is a copy of the menu OKCPS children eat on a cyclical basis.

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Allegedly there will be an opportunity to have a new vendor set in place by July of this year. (cough, cough)

OKCPS Director of Purchasing was quoted as saying "selling a la carte items on the food service line brings in 'extra revenue' to fund the maintenance of school cafeteria equipment."  Some parents would argue that this money should come through the budgeting process.

"If there simply isn't any money available, there has to be a better way to raise it (PTAs, private/public grants) then selling cookies and chips to the 33,000 children in the OKCPS district who are receiving free or reduced lunch (their are 38,000 children total)."

New Orleans has the Edible Schoolyard, which includes The Kitchen Project a community OKCPS can only dream about at this time, some day coming to fruition.

Building these "Relationships" as you will, with the individuals in charge of feeding our children, is a matter of circumstance.
If enough parents cry out in awareness, rally to make changes "In the best interest of their children", this "Bidding Process" will be taken to heart.

The options are numerous, with 38 documented case studies of schools successfully altering they're nutritional service providers without falling short fiscally...and most importantly to the benefit of the children.

 Vermont Feed has established a farm-to-school program, whose mission statement:

 "Vfeed works with schools and communities to raise awareness about healthy food, the role of Vermont farms and farmers, and good nutrition. We act as a catalyst for rebuilding healthy food sys-tems, and to cultivate links between the classrooms, cafeterias, local farms, and communities."

In 2004 Congress made the pilot program, Produce for Better Health permanent...but it's only utilized in eight states and three Indian Territories.