Students at Fayette County High started off the school year with a new attention-grabbing milk cooler thanks to a grant from the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association (SUDIA).
Worth nearly $3,000, the cooler holds 12 cases of milk, offering students a choice of skim, and fat-free chocolate, vanilla and strawberry milk at both breakfast and lunch.
School Nutrition Program staff member Christina Martin applied for the grant in an effort to increase student participation in the school’s breakfast program. She says the new cooler is eye-catching, and serves as a marketing tool to help draw attention to the breakfast items offered.
“The cafeteria feeds over 600 students at lunch, but only around 100 eat breakfast. Milk is consumed more at breakfast time, so we hope the new cooler will help with marketing. The staff and students are loving it so far,” said Martin.
The purpose of the SUDIA grant is to assist schools in the purchase of equipment that will enhance the long-term implementation of school breakfast and lunch programs.
Pictured above are, from left: Dr. Dan Lane, principal; Vickie Lindstrom, cafeteria manager; Christina Martin, School Nutrition Program staff member; Alicia Page, SUDIA representative, and Leo Riley, School Nutrition Program lead manager.