The Jackson Public School District is the proud recipient of a $59,600 grant from the Jackson Heart Foundation to support healthy lunches for schools. The funding will be used to purchase combi ovens for two schools in JPS.
"The Jackson Heart Foundation's first installment of this commitment to enhance JPS' nutritional culture is a huge investment in our children and our community,” said JPS School Board President and Jackson Heart Foundation Board member Beneta Burt. "We are most grateful. We hope this example challenges other businesses and organizations to find creative ways to help us help our students."
The ovens, which employ a combination of dry heat and steam, allow cafeteria staffs to opt for healthier cooking methods than frying.
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| Participating in the presentation of a check to Jackson Public Schools were (from left) JPS Superintendent Dr. Cedrick Gray; Lizzy Lacoste, Executive Director, Jackson Heart Foundation; Clay Hays, Jr., M.D., Vice Chairman, Jackson Heart Foundation; Bill Leeboard, Board member, Jackson Heart Foundation, Gwen McKee, Board member, Jackson Heart Foundation; Harper Stone, M.D., Chairman, Jackson Heart Foundation; Beneta Burt, JPS School Board President and Board member, Jackson Heart Foundation; and Marc Rowe, JPS Food Service Supervisor. |
"The Jackson Public Schools Food Service Department is grateful and very appreciative of the funding provided by the Jackson Heart Foundation to assist the District in providing healthier meals for our students," said Mary Hill, Executive Director of Food Services for Jackson Public Schools. "The steam ovens will help food service staff to improve the thousands of breakfasts and lunches served every month to students and staff in Jackson Public Schools."
The Jackson Heart Foundation promotes and safeguards cardiovascular health for the community to empower people through education and encourages healthy lifestyles for our families.
"Heart disease affects millions of people," said Dr. Clay Hays, Vice Chairman of the Jackson Heart Foundation. "And now our youngest generation is at risk because of childhood obesity. If we can teach them the importance of making healthy decisions regarding nutrition and exercise, then we will help make a difference in the health of our future generations."
The foundation has been an ongoing partner with JPS to advance the District's wellness programs, from giving students access to fresh produce to supplying Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) kits to high schools.
"The Jackson Heart Foundation's commitment to enhancing JPS' nutritional culture, and the first installment of this commitment, is a huge investment in our children and our community," said Burt. "We are most grateful. We can't say enough about what this means. We hope this example challenges other businesses and organizations to find creative ways to help us help our students."
The Jackson Heart Foundation has provided many other resources to Jackson Public Schools including educational gardens at Davis IB Elementary School and Casey Elementary School. They have also provided CPR kits to Callaway, Jim Hill, and Provine high schools.
The Jackson Heart Foundation also collaborated with the Baptist Health Foundation for the HealthTeacher project to provide a comprehensive online curriculum resource on health education for Jackson Public Schools.
