Chef Ann Foundation Awards Grants to Purchase Bulk Milk to 15 K–12 Districts

  • By Matt Jones
  • 09/10/24

The Chef Ann Foundation recently announced that it has awarded 29 grants to 15 school districts around the U.S. to go toward purchasing milk in bulk instead of single-serve containers. The Bulk Milk program is in its second year and provides recipients with the equipment, training, and materials required for schools to make the shift, according to a news release.

The USDA requires U.S. schools to provide milk with every breakfast or lunch served via the National School Breakfast and School Lunch programs, the news release reports. Single-serving milk containers have become one of the most significant contributors to food and packaging waste in schools, the news release reports. Bulk milk dispensers allow students to pour their own desired amount, cutting down on both the 45 million gallons of liquid milk discarded annually in schools, as well as their containers.

“We had more than 360,000 fewer cartons go into the landfill last year,” said Beth Brewster, Supervisor of Food Services at Caroline County School in Maryland. “There has been less [liquid milk] waste as well, since the students only take the amount they want and actually drink it.”

According to the news release, the grants were awarded to Petersburg School District, Alaska; Willows Unified School District, Calif.; Ocean View School District, Calif.; San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District, Calif.; Shady Creek Outdoor School, Calif.; Santa Clara Unified School District, Calif.; Weld County School District, Colo.; Colorado Charter School Institute, Colo.; Cannon Falls Independent School District, Minn.;  Minneapolis Public School District, Minn.; Explore Academy Charter School, N.M.; Ithaca School District, N.Y.; Groton Central School District, N.Y.; Franklin Special School District, Tenn.; Suffolk Public School District, Va.

Funding for the grant came with support from Elevance Health Foundation and the Posner Foundation, the news release reports.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Three U.S. Universities Install Acre Security Access Control Platform

    Cloud-native physical and digital security solutions company Acre Security recently announced that it has deployed its access control platform at three major universities in the U.S., according to a news release. Acre partnered with Atrium Campus to provide coverage for more than 69,000 students at the University of Virginia (UVA), George Mason University, and Rockhurst University.

  • University of Kansas Opens $400M Football Stadium Reconstruction

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently announced that the $400-million reconstruction of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is complete in time for the 2025 football season, according to a news release. The university partnered with Turner Construction Company on the project.

  • Kenall Introduces Millenium Flair Series

    In a move aimed at modernizing institutional lighting without compromising on durability or performance, Kenall has launched its new Millenium Flair series, according to the Kenall website.

  • K–12 Safety Trends Report Reveals Reliance on Training, Technology

    Wearable safety technology provider CENTEGIX recently released its 2025 School Safety Trends Report, according to a news release. The report is based on more than 265,000 incidents during the 2024–25 school year as reported through the CENTEGIX Safety Platform, used by more than 800 school districts across the U.S.

Digital Edition