Release No. 0223.08
Contact: Regan Hopper (703) 305-2286
Keith Williams (202) 720-4623
Printable version
USDA Awards $5 Million in Team Nutrition Training Grants
WASHINGTON, Sept. 3, 2008 -Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer today awarded
approximately $5 million in Team Nutrition Training Grants to twenty states to
help children develop better eating and physical activity habits.
"Team Nutrition provides the opportunity and resources to states,
communities, and schools to help provide more opportunities for our children to
make healthy lifestyle choices," Schafer said. "Eating a nutritious diet and
engaging in daily physical activity will help address the growing problem of
childhood obesity."
Team Nutrition is a key component in the efforts of USDA's Food and Nutrition
Service to provide schools with nutrition education materials for children and
parents as well as technical assistance for school food service providers and
communities to support healthy eating and physical activity. Team Nutrition
activities support two pillars, nutrition and daily physical activity, of the
President's HealthierUS Initiative launched in 2002 to help Americans live
longer, better, and healthier lives.
The twenty States receiving grants are: Alabama ($111,593), Arizona
($120,702), Arkansas ($222,035), California ($299,956), Idaho ($281,324),
Illinois ($200,000), Iowa ($199,975), Kansas ($317,074), Louisiana ($306,110),
Maine ($195,206), Maryland ($243,129), Michigan ($349,999), Minnesota
($259,919), Montana ($252,925), New Mexico ($200,000), Pennsylvania ($349,406),
Rhode Island ($322,707), West Virginia ($348,537), Wisconsin ($196,652), and
Wyoming ($191,370).
During the two-year grant period, the states will provide training and
technical assistance to food service staff in the preparation of more fruits and
vegetables, whole-grain products, and other healthier foods. The grants will
support efforts to empower students to make healthy choices and to be physically
active, and to help schools reach out to parents, teachers, caregivers, and
others to capitalize on the positive role-model potential they have on children.
States will also encourage elementary schools to take USDA's HealthierUS School
Challenge.
More information on the Team Nutrition Training Grants is available at
http://teamnutrition.usda.gov.
Last modified:
12/05/2008
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