Castleford, Idaho (KMVT / KSVT) – Usually schools receive state subsidies to buy food for their nutritional programs. However, this year, local schools have received money to improve technology behind these programs.
The USDA offers funds for technology improvement subsidies, which Idaho school districts receive. Children’s nutrition state director Lynda Westphal said subsidies are supposed to help schools buy updated devices or software for their nutrition services.
“It could be a pin cushion in which children enter their issue to count meals. These are day care tablets to count meals. This is improved technology for some of the food services offices, ”said Westphal.
The Castleford school district received a subsidy worth $ 12,271. They were able to buy a barcode scanner and software to ensure that students are fed in accordance with USDA directives. Nutrition director Kim Aguirre said the scanner was helping to speed up the lunch lines.
“They must have grains, they must have fruit, they must have vegetables, they must have their milk and their meats. The program will therefore tell me if they lack anything, ”said Aguirre.
Aguirre said that without the subsidy, the district would not have been able to upgrade its equipment.
“In this position, I was told that we were making a really tight budget. So, if we would not have obtained the subsidies, we could not have upgraded this year, “said Aguirre.
Westphal added that it helps to release money in the nutritional budget of a school, which benefits small rural schools. Even a subsidy of five dollars can make a difference.
“For small schools, five thousand could be a month of food,” added Westphal.
The Department of the State of Education plans to open another series of subsidy requests from November. Westphal said the department would inform schools when applying.
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