The U.S. Apple Association has awarded its Apples4Ed grants to five schools for the 2023-24 school year. Each $5,000 grant will support initiatives that teach children about healthy eating habits and expose them to a wider variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, according to a news release.
More than 50 schools applied to Apples4Ed this year, the association said. A panel of judges selected winners based on level of creativity, longevity, student impact, logistics and community involvement.
The five winning schools are:
- Coral Reef Senior High School, Miami.
- Hoover Elementary, Yakima, Wash.
- Pine Haven Elementary, Jamestown, Tenn.
- Throop Elementary, Paoli, Ind.
- Trailridge Elementary, Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Hoover Elementary, Throop Elementary, and Trailridge Elementary will create or improve upon existing school gardens, incorporating both hydroponics inside as well as gardens outside, according to the release.
Pine Haven Elementary will use the grant to improve the nutrition curriculum in its after-school Extended Learning Program. The school will incorporate fresh produce into its curriculum each week to show students how to create tasty dishes while making it fun, the association said.
Coral Reef Senior High School, which already has a fresh produce program, will use the grant to fund stainless steel preparation tables, a three-shelf trolley cart and a refrigerated salad station to help distribute campus-grown produce to students.
“Apples4Ed initiatives promote fresh produce in a context that resonates with students and has a long-term impact on healthy habits,” Lynsee Gibbons, director of communications for USApple, said in the release. “We’re proud to support schools in their creative efforts to expose students to fruits and vegetables in fun, engaging, and enjoyable ways.”
USApple says its 2023 NextGen Fellows raised an additional $5,000 through an online raffle, which helped Apples4Ed include a fifth school in its recipients.
