COALITION FOR HEALTHY SCHOOL FOOD

Amie and her team have done incredible work to bring healthy foods to schools. The research for my Master's degree in Nutrition was conducted at my son's middle school. I spent 5 months working in the kitchen. What this group has done to change the menu toward healthier foods is amazing and worth any time or funding you can give.

They are changing the future of health.

Marty Davey, MS, RD, CDN

They are making great strides in educating students and communities about the power of eating whole food plants! They also display actionable steps for others to make a difference in this area. Looking forward to what they do in 2025!

The Coalition for Healthy School Food provides amazing resources and programs to bring healthy, plant-based foods into the menus of schools. The recipes are delicious, too!

As a board member of the Coalition for Healthy School Food (CHSF), I’m proud to share what makes this organization so dynamic and effective. CHSF is dedicated to improving student health by promoting plant-based, nutritious meals in schools. Our mission is to bring healthier food options and nutrition education to benefit the health of children, their families, the people who work in the school, to address equity issues, and to reduce the impact of our food choices on the environment.

CHSF’s key programs are central to this mission. Our Food UnEarthed: Uncovering the Truth About Food curriculum teaches students about plant-based foods through engaging nutrition education and cooking classes. The Wellness Wakeup Call provides daily health and nutrition tips via school announcements, helping students learn about food and nutrition and make better food choices. We work with chefs to create appealing, nutritious plant-based meals for school cafeterias. On the advocacy front, CHSF actively pushes for policies that support healthier school food environments. CHSF has partnered with New York City Office of Food and Nutrition Services since 2005 (we were founded in 2004) to promote plant-based entrees and our efforts helped NYC introduce Plant-Powered Fridays, a daily hummus option in all schools, and the elimination of processed meats, which are known human carcinogens, in NYC schools.

I became a board member of the CHSF because I firmly believe that its mission to promote healthy vegan food and nutrition in schools and to the larger school community is a vital part of creating a healthier, responsible, and more just society. Nurturing the minds and bodies of young people will have lasting impact over many years. CHSF is an incredibly effective non-profit and does so much with so little. Please help us achieve more by supporting the CHSF.

I first became aware of the Coalition For Healthy School Food when I attended my first vegan festival in NYC as I started to transition to a vegan/plant-based diet more than five years ago. As I visited the different food vendors and organizations that had tables set up, I noticed that the CHSF's mission was the only one that made a strong connection to plant-based/ vegan foods and school children. What further impressed me is how the founders, Amie Hamlin and Kelley Wind, had run this organization for years and their success in getting plant-based foods into several NYC and NYS schools. As I would soon learn, this was no easy feat and takes a deep commitment and dedication to a mission focused on overcoming tough obstacles that prevent students from receiving healthy, plant-based foods despite the overwhelming evidence of how these foods are crucial to health and learning.

Since that day when I met Amie and Kelley at the vegan festival, I've become more and more involved as a volunteer and supporter to do what little I can to help their mission and great work. In 2018, I had the honor of being named as the New Jersey Volunteer Liaison for the CHSF. In this volunteer role, I work to connect with New Jersey schools to bring plant-based/vegan foods to students. I live in Newark, and I'm happy to work on behalf of CHSF to expand their program to New Jersey.

We all know that children today are way more aware about the unsustainable and cruel system that produces much of what we eat. Children are embracing plant-based foods over animal-based products. These children will be tomorrow's leaders who will set policies, create laws and influence the way we eat. The CHSF is on the frontlines fighting for school children to have access to healthy, plant-based foods in schools. They are building the foundation for a future generation that embraces a healthier and more compassion lifestyle through the food we eat.

I have volunteered several times with this organization and have always found it a rewarding experience. The staff are a great team of dedicated, fun-loving individuals who go above and beyond to spread the message of their mission. I'm so glad to have been introduced to this organization, and I look forward to helping them achieve their goals in whatever ways I can in the future.

The New York Coalition for Healthy School Foods is an amazing organization that is working to save our children one bite at a time. They offer wonderful resources to make the change possible and work tirelessly to help schools.

The New York Coalition For Healthy School Lunches is revolutionizing how public schools in New York and specifically New York City (the largest school system in the country),feeds our children. The organization is simple and yet it's goals are huge, to feed EVERY child in New York State healthy plant-based entrees. The organization takes on schools like mine, in the inner city, and educates the staff, kitchen staff and most importantly students on making healthy choices, giving voice to choosing fruits, nuts, whole grains, and vegetables for meals. Students and staff hear a daily "healthy eating tip" announced on our loud speaker called their "Wellness Wakeup Call", to retrain and teach everyone that eating right can prevent many, many diseases. Moving students away from fast-foods, sugar-based drinks, and fried meats, we are encouraging the children and staff to become more conscious of what they put into their bodies. Factory-farming is one of the main contributors to global warming, in fact, as we move away from our addiction to meat, we are actually saving the planet! So, the COOL SCHOOL FOOD PROJECT run by the the New York Coalition For Healthy School Lunches is just that, cooling global warming through plant-based entrees. I have worked with this organization closely to bring my school, PS 106K in Bushwick, Brooklyn on board. We are now offering one plant-based entree per week in our school and hope that we can do this at least twice a week in the future and even more. In addition, teachers are moving away from candy and cakes and are offering veggies and whole grains for their parties, our students are becoming more and more health conscious and we are affecting the lives of our staff, students and community as the students bring this message home to their parents. The New York Coalition For Healthy School Lunches is taking on obesity, global warming, good nutrition by targeting school lunches, this is a simple yet monumentous task, however, schools in New York City are taking up this challenge and we're coming on board. I am happy and so proud to be part of this organization! It's SO exciting to see our kids take charge of their health and of course the planet!