Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools celebrates 4,000th donation

“Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools” (LMSB2S) announced that the partnership has granted its 4,000th school salad bar serving more than 2 million kids a day.

This represents an investment of over $10 million by the LMSB2S partners, foundations and corporate and non-profit donors. A sub-initiative in support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” program, Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools provides salad bar equipment and training to schools and districts across American who are enrolled in the National School Lunch Program.

“Today’s announcement is an exciting milestone,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “I’m thrilled that the ‘Let’s Move Salad Bars to School’ initiative has helped bring 4,000 school salad bars to more than 2 million children nationwide. As we celebrate the fifth anniversary of ‘Let’s Move!’, we are well on our way to a future when all students have access to a variety of vegetables and fruit from their school salad bars each day. This is what change looks like!”

Overall, findings demonstrate that availability of salad bars is an effective strategy to increase students’ fruit and vegetable intake and furthermore help schools comply with new and improved federal school nutrition standards. From a 2014 survey of food service directors from schools receiving LMSB2S salad bars, more schools (57 percent) saw an increase in student participation in the school lunch program as a result of implementing salad bars.

“This achievement was made possible through teamwork, with organizations from both the public and private sectors joining forces to make it as easy as possible for schools to apply for salad bars,” said Sam Kass, former executive director of Let’s Move! “We’ve learned that kids who have access to salad bars at school are eating three times as many fruits and vegetables. For that alone, we need to embrace and grow this cause.”

“Let’s Move Salad Bars to School” celebrated its 4,000th salad bar milestone achievement by hosting an event at the Calvin M. Rodwell Elementary School (part of Baltimore City Public Schools) on Feb. 24.

“When kids are given the opportunity to choose good food, they make good choices,” said Nona Evans, executive director of the Whole Kids Foundation. “At the heart of the matter, kids enjoy eating well.”