ST. MARTIN PARISH, La. (KLFY)-The St. Martin Parish School Board has opened a new food service warehouse to ensure over 6,000 students have access to healthy meals every day.

The 10,000 square foot facility, located near the St. Martin Parish School Board Administration Building in Breaux Bridge, was funded by a $2.3 million federal grant, given to the board during the coronavirus pandemic. The warehouse will store supplies for meals made from scratch.

Dr. Wanda Phillips, school nutritionist with the St. Martin Parish School Board, said students need to be well-fed to be able to learn in school.

“Hungry kids cannot learn, a child that is well-fed enables us to teach the total child,” said Phillips.

The warehouse also benefits from the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Grant, which allows the school board to provide fresh fruit and vegetables as snacks throughout the day. Additionally, the MyPlate 678 grant encourages the incorporation of more vegetables into the menu.

“We received a fresh fruit and vegetable grant, which we provide fresh fruit and vegetables as a snack to children all throughout the day and also the last grant we received was MyPlate678 which encourages us to incorporate more vegetables into our menu,” said Phillips.

Menu items include red beans and rice, spaghetti and meatballs, pork stew, lasagna, and more. With additional grants from the United States Department of Agriculture, the facility also stores poultry, providing essential nutrition for many students who rely on these meals.

“Sometimes these kids, these are the only two healthy meals they get and our staff, I encourage them every day to tell the kids, Good Morning, Hello, how’s it going, sometimes the validation they get is from our cafeteria staff,” said Phillips.

The facility also features a state-of-the-art freezer and cooler, which Phillips noted can accommodate large quantities of food, ensuring that the warehouse can effectively serve the needs of the students in St. Martin Parish.

“We’re just happy to be in our new facility, it is over 10,000 square feet, it has air conditioning, we have a state-of-the-art freezer and cooler, the guys can use a bulldozer to go in and get our items, we’re here to serve St. Martin Parish students by providing them a nutritious meal,” said Phillips.

The new food service warehouse is a significant step towards improving student nutrition and well-being in St. Martin Parish, supported by substantial grants and a commitment to providing healthy meals.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.

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