The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Food and Nutrition Services, received an additional appropriation of funding for $877,089 for equipment assistance to eligible Local Education Agencies participating in the National School Lunch Program for FY 2022.
DESE and FNS announced that the Newtown-Harris R-III school district received an award of $16,726.61 for an outdoor walk-in freezer through the NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant Fund. The district plans to improve its freezer capacity and replace an existing unit that was bought “used” in the 1990s. Superintendent Matt Copeland stated: “Over the last several years, it was not uncommon for the district to lose 1-2 freezer-full loads a year due to the poor condition of the current freezer. Over time, this is an unsustainable practice.”
Copeland said “The walk-in freezer will greatly enhance the quality of food service and meals that we can provide for our students. The new freezer will ensure proper freezing temperatures making sure the food the students eat is safe and free from contamination. The other benefit of this outdoor walk-in freezer is that it will allow our students to expand our local foods available to the district.”
The district expects to start on the project in the spring with an anticipated completion date occurring before the end of the school year.
