Project Bread Hosts “Sheet Pan Showdown” at Salem High School

SALEM, Mass. – On January 25, Project Bread, the state’s leading anti-hunger organization, hosted 17 school nutrition staff members of Salem Public Schools for a “Sheet Pan Showdown.” During the interactive professional development training at Salem High School, Salem Superintendent Dr. Stephen Zrike welcomed the staff and thanked them for their hard work and impact on student’s wellbeing. Participants then broke into 5 teams to create delicious new recipes in just 60 minutes cooked on sheet pans using all ingredients provided in a mystery box, including a lean protein and a variety of green and starchy vegetables, with access to a full pantry of spices, vinegars, cooking oils, dairy and bread products.

The 5 custom dishes included a Fiesta Chicken with a delicata squash and brussels sprout medley; a Hawaiian Delight with mashed sweet potato, broccoli, pineapple and marinated chicken; a Summer Tower of ground turkey, greens and squash stuffed in a green pepper; a Mezza plate with turkey meatballs, and a brussel sprout and sweet potato medley; and a Warrior’s Tofu served with two sauce options and a zucchini and squash medley. Following the showdown, Project Bread Chef Educators Sam Icklan and Sherry Hughes worked with staff to present their dishes and will be exploring options to add some of the day’s recipes to the regular school menu and introduced to Salem District’s student population.

“This is the kind of day that energizes us,” shares Sam Icklan, Director of Community Nutrition Services at Project Bread. “We’re able to work with the talented Salem nutrition staff, encouraging them to bring their creativity and their heritage into each dish. The staff work hard each day to feed hundreds of children, and with free schools meals, they can focus on just that, providing nourishing and delicious meals for all kids in the Salem district.”

Salem school nutrition staff members, led by Irvelt Perrin, Director of Food and Nutrition Services, and Assistant Director Michaela Short at Salem Public Schools, joined Project Bread’s inaugural School Food Fellowship Program in October 2021. School Food Fellows participate in monthly professional development trainings and onsite meetings with Project Bread’s Chef Educators, including the development of a new recipes that cater to supply chain limitations and meet USDA nutrition standards. This is just one key example of how Project Bread is working to ensure nutritious, delicious school meals are available at no cost and free of stigma for every student in the state. Photos of the day's food creations are available here.

This academic year, Massachusetts is 1 of 5 states continuing to provide free school meals to all students, after the expiration of federal waivers in June. Through the FY23 state budget, $110 million has been allocated to keep children fed during the school day. These meals have proven a vital resource to the 1 in 5 Massachusetts households with children struggling with enough to eat statewide, disproportionately impacting Black and Latino families. This is why Project Bread, alongside bill sponsors Senator Sal DiDomenico and Representative Andy Vargas, has refiled legislation this January to make free school meals for all students permanent.

Without state level legislation in place, there is risk barriers to food access will return once annual budget ends on June 30, 2023. The Commonwealth will return to a tiered-pay system that leaves out at least 26 percent of food insecure children. Currently, over half of the Massachusetts state legislature has supported School Meals for All legislation and more than 120 anti-hunger partners, health care advocates, school and municipal officials, food systems experts, faith communities, children’s advocates and more have joined the Feed Kids Coalition. Those who support this effort can go to feedkidsma.org and ask their legislators to make School Meals for All a priority.

People experiencing food insecurity should call or text Project Bread’s toll-free FoodSource Hotline (1-800-645-8333), which provides confidential assistance to connect with food resources, including SNAP benefits, in 180 languages and for the hearing impaired. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org/get-help.

About Project Bread

Project Bread, the leading statewide anti-hunger nonprofit, connects people and communities in Massachusetts to reliable sources of food while advocating for policies that make food more accessible—so that no one goes hungry. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org.

About the Feed Kids Campaign

Feed Kids, Solve Hunger MA is a statewide legislative campaign aimed at passing School Meals for All legislation in the Commonwealth. Our diverse coalition consists of over 120 anti-hunger partners, health care advocates, school and municipal officials, food systems experts, faith communities, children’s advocates and more.

###