Twenty Michigan schools will be equipped with salad bars this year, thanks to a collaboration between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and United Fresh Start Foundation.
The salad bars are part of the national Salad Bars to Schools initiative, which provides salad bar equipment to schools, as a strategy to increase children’s fruit and vegetable consumption.
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As part of the BCBSM-United Fresh collaboration, the 20 salad bars have been donated to schools across Michigan this year, are already benefiting over 6,000 students by improving school meals, empowering kids to choose healthy fruits and vegetables, and nudging them toward the adoption of healthy habits.
“BCBSM is proud to support efforts to ‘make the healthy choice the easy choice,’” said Lynda Rossi, executive vice president, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. “The salad bars will help students have easy and fun access to fresh fruits and vegetables.”
Here are the 20 Michigan schools getting the new salad bars:
• Northern High School, Ada
• Eastern High/Middle School, Ada
• Central High School, Ada
• Collins Elementary School, Ada
• Au Gres-Sims Elementary School, Au Gres
• Kaleva Norman Dickson Middle-High School, Brethren
• Carson City-Crystal Lower Elementary School, Carson City
• Carson City-Crystal Middle/High School, Carson City
• Munger Elementary School, Detroit
• Mackenzie Elementary/Middle School, Detroit
• Robinson Elementary School, Grand Haven
• Griffin Elementary School, Grand Haven
• Father Marquette Middle School, Marquette
• Romeo Middle School, Romeo
• Romeo High School, Romeo
• Bear Lake School, Brethren
• Michigan School for the Deaf, Flint
• Kennedy Middle School, St. Clair Shores
• Elms Road Elementary School, Swartz Creek
“Kids like fresh fruits and vegetables. When provided access to a variety of produce options in a school salad bar, they respond by picking the items they like best, and potentially trying something new,” said Andrew Marshall, director of foundation programs and partnerships for the United Fresh Start Foundation. “Salad bars are also a visual representation of a school’s commitment to wellness and healthy school meals. Having a salad bar shows parents, teachers, and the community that the school values a healthy environment that encourages children to eat more fruits and vegetables,” added Marshall.