Athenian eAcademy District Receives

The School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) has named Ashley Smith, School Food Director for Athenian eAcademy District in Utah, the recipient of the Vulcan Equipment Grant for school meal program equipment worth up to $50,000. Facing continued staffing and financial challenges, school nutrition professionals nationwide applied for SNF Equipment Grants in school year 2023-2024 to receive new equipment to benefit their school meal program and students.

Equipment will be purchased for three of the district’s full-time campuses, which are all new to the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs. According to Ashley Smith, the new equipment supports their goal to transition from a costly food service management company to an in-house school meal program. Smith is working to enhance meal preparation efficiency, food safety, appeal and freshness of meals offered. Equipment in need of dire upgrades include a countertop convection oven and a broken slow cooker/smoker.

“We are thrilled to receive this grant as financial and time constraints and labor shortages often hinder our ability to provide fresh, nutritious meals,” said Smith. “We are working to expand our meal programs to enhance the well-being of our students and support their academic success.”

Smith added that the new equipment will help them utilize local, seasonal ingredients with more scratch cooking, allowing for greater control over ingredients and portion sizes, and reducing reliance on processed foods often higher in sodium and sugar. Athenian eAcademy can better accommodate students' dietary preferences and promote lifelong healthy eating habits with the ability to offer diverse and culturally relevant menu options.

“We are pleased to help Athenian eAcademy further efforts to increase appealing, nutritional offerings for students through the Vulcan Equipment Grant,” said SNF Chair, Becky Domokos-Bays, PhD, RD, SNS. “They will be able to better utilize local ingredients, which not only supports the regional economy but promotes sustainability and freshness.”

As the recipient of the ITW Food Equipment Group Grant, Athenian eAcademy District will be awarded up to $50,000 worth of Vulcan equipment. They will work with an ITW/Food Equipment Group representative to determine what best suits their school district’s specific needs.

About School Nutrition Foundation:

The School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) is the charitable arm of the School Nutrition Association (SNA). SNF supports school nutrition professionals by offering grants and scholarships, providing free training opportunities and identifying research, trends and innovations. The 2024 SNF Equipment Grants are made possible by the generous contributions of AmTab, Winston Foodservice, ITW Food Equipment Group (Hobart Equipment and Vulcan Equipment), Food Warming Equipment Company, Inc., LTI Inc. and Cambro Manufacturing, Sterno Delivery and Innoseal Systems.

About School Nutrition Association:

The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing 50,000 school nutrition professionals across the country. Founded in 1946, SNA and its members are dedicated to making healthy school meals and nutrition education available to all students. For more information on school meals, visit www.SchoolNutrition.org/SchoolMeals.