Oakland’s Nutrition Services team surpasses 10,000,000 student meals – Oakland News Now

Oakland’s Oakland Nutrition Services Team Surpasses 10,000,000 Student Meals in Supporting Student Health and Well-Being, Nearly 3,000,000 Pounds of ACFCB Food

Team receives help from Alameda County Dental Society

Oakland – As the Oakland Unified School District Nutrition Services team continues to support thousands of students across the city with healthy, nutritious meals every day, their work has reached an incredible milestone. Since the first day of campus closure last year, which was March 16, the team distributed 10,145,937 meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner through the end of last month.

“We had no idea at the time that our closures would last that long, but that didn’t stop our remarkable Nutrition Services team from completely transforming their system to support our students for the long haul,” said the Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell. “Like you, I am sad that our campuses have been closed for so long, but I know we could not have done all we have, and our students and families would not have received the food they need. , without the heroic efforts of everyone in Nutrition Services and all of our other staff and volunteers who have made this possible over the past year, I salute the whole team.

OUSD also thanks the Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB), which has been a critical partner throughout this effort. We are now approaching another remarkable milestone: three million pounds of food provided to OUSD families during COVID through the partnership. Irene Reynolds, Executive Director of Nutrition Services at OUSD, said: “The partnership has been invaluable in helping provide nutritious food to our families over the past year. Thousands of families have depended on ACCFB for canned food, grains, fresh produce and other items during this incredibly difficult time in which many have lost their jobs and incomes. Of course, we have to feed our students, but their families also need help. This milestone is both incredible and heartbreaking: 3,000,000 pounds of food for OUSD families, in addition to ten million student meals. We cannot thank the Food Bank enough for all the support it has given to our community.

With all the food reaching our students and families, dental care is also something to focus on, and now the district is receiving support from the Alameda County Dental Society (ACDS), which has made donated 2,000 toothbrushes in the past month. Most went directly to several ACDS schools, namely Sankofa United Elementary, Elmhurst United Middle, Global Family Elementary and Downtown Charter Academy last month to celebrate National Children’s Dental Health Month. The remaining toothbrushes have been delivered to the central kitchen and sent to West Oakland Middle School for distribution this week in lunch boxes.
Donation of toothbrushes.

Packed with student meals.
Due to school closures and restrictions related to the pandemic, ACDS members have not been able to provide oral health exams as otherwise would have been scheduled. Even though most dental offices have now reopened, access remains an issue. Decay not diagnosed in March 2020 could now turn into something more serious. The toothbrushes were purchased by the ACDS Dental Foundation and oral health education brochures were provided by the Dental Health Bureau in Spanish, Cantonese and English.

ACDS hopes the toothbrushes and educational brochures will remind children and families of the importance of maintaining good oral health during these difficult times. “The Alameda County Dental Society was pleased to partner with OUSD for Children’s Dental Health Month to donate dental kits to ensure children and families have the information and equipment needed to continue to make dental health a priority, ”said Dr. Jared Fine, member of the ACDS Board of Directors.

OUSD thanks the Alameda County Dental Society for its support to our students and their families, and for the important reminder for all of us to maintain good dental health.