To be eligible, at least half of the students in a school must be eligible for free or reduced-price lunches. The money goes to the states, which distribute it to schools or districts. In the L.A. area, Will Rogers and Edison Language Academy in Santa Monica, Durfee Elementary in Pico Rivera and Columbia Elementary in El Monte were funded.
In return for $50 to $75 per child each year, the schools provide the labor and lessons about the foods. At Will Rogers, parent volunteers wash the produce and deliver it to classrooms for all 560 students each Monday and Thursday, said Pam McRae, the parent in charge.
"The interest here is about trying it, not if you like it or you don't," McRae said. But the hope is that kids spread the word to one another and at home.
Schools are free to buy whatever produce they choose, to buy it anywhere they choose, and to hand it out in any manner they choose. In Santa Monica, nearly all the snacks come from farmers markets, said Donna Richwine, nutrition specialist for the district.
Will Rogers already has a salad bar at lunch and a school garden -- two important components of the program, said A.G. Kawamura, secretary of the state Department of Food and Agriculture.
"You introduce new foods through the snack program. And you grow them here on site. When you link that to the nutrition message, you accomplish a more solid lesson," he said.
The program launched in 2002 at 25 schools in Iowa, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, as well as the Zuni reservation in New Mexico, said DiSogra, who has worked on the program from the start. She called it "a huge success" and said the U.S. Department of Agriculture will start a formal evaluation next year.
Thursday's event at Will Rogers came just a day ahead of a major holiday featuring junk food.
But Harrison said that while he'll indulge, he also will keep things in perspective. "Halloween is just one day," he said.
--
mary.macvean@latimes.com
