CHARITABLE GIVING
Teaming Up for
Nutritional Health
Montgomery County Public Schools partners with Silver Diner and Real Food
for Kids to get more plant-based foods onto school lunch menus.

S weet potatoes topped with a sweet
chili mix and ranch sauce.

Thai curry sauce over edamame
and chickpeas with whole-grain rice.

White bean and pesto dip with roasted
tomatoes on a flatbread.

A three-bean torta with roasted corn salad.

These may sound more like menu items
at a vegetarian restaurant than offerings in
a school lunch line. But they’re all dishes
that were recently being considered for the
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)
school lunch menu.

MCPS partnered with local diner chain
Silver Diner and local advocacy group Real
Food for Kids to develop delicious and
healthy plant-based recipes to add to its
menu. On Sept. 29, about a dozen MCPS
middle and high school students took part
in a student focus group, in which they got
to try the dishes and offer their feedback. All
of the dishes were created by Silver Diner
Executive Chef Ype Von Hengst.

“Even though [Washington] D.C. has very
wealthy suburbs, there are pockets of kids
who experience food insecurity every day,”
says Bonnie Moore, executive director of
Real Food for Kids. “Our goal is to provide
equity and access to real, whole foods for
all students.”
Approaching the holiday season, many
individuals, families and businesses are
thinking about ways they can give back. By
bringing healthy food options onto school
menus, this partnership gives back not just
financially—but with lasting change.

The Need for Healthier Food
Food insecurity is a major concern through-
out the U.S., not just the D.C. area. According
to the School Nutrition Association, one
in seven American kids live in households
without consistent access to adequate food.

That’s 11 million U.S. children who don’t
have enough to eat—which can have detri-
mental effects on their health and well-being.

A review of 17 recent studies, published
last September in the International Journal
of Environmental Research and Public
Health, found that food insecurity is asso-
ciated with lower academic outcomes,
16 Washington FAMILY DECEMBER 2022
increased behavioral problems, higher stress
and anxiety and even developmental delays
in children.

Even kids who don’t suffer from food
insecurity often only have access to highly
processed foods that are high in calories,
sodium and fat. Perhaps it’s no surprise,
then, that the rate of childhood obesity in
the U.S. has more than tripled since the
1970s. Today, about one in five (or 14.7 mil-
lion) American children and teens ages 2-19
are affected by obesity, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC). Obesity can lead to health problems
such as high blood pressure and cholesterol,
diabetes, joint problems and breathing prob-
lems such as asthma and sleep apnea.

MCPS is one of many school districts
across the country working to combat food
insecurity and poor nutrition among kids
by revamping their lunch menus. All of the
school district’s offerings, including vending
machine and a la carte items, meet current
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
guidelines. That means the food contains 30
percent or less calories from fat, 10 percent
ATLAS / ADOBESTOCK
BY JENNIFER MARINO WALTERS