{"id":1316045,"date":"2019-10-24T08:53:41","date_gmt":"2019-10-24T14:53:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/?p=990058"},"modified":"2019-10-24T08:53:41","modified_gmt":"2019-10-24T14:53:41","slug":"superintendents-column-hammond-fights-odds-to-feed-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/superintendents-column-hammond-fights-odds-to-feed-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Superintendent\u2019s column: Hammond fights odds to feed kids"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Rob Stein, Roaring Fork Schools superintendent<\/strong>
<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Michelle Hammond is a local hero in the fight
\nagainst hunger. As the food services director for the Roaring Fork Schools, she
\nis fighting against unbelievable odds.<\/p>\n

Michelle and her team are charged with meeting
\nthe nutritional needs of our students through the breakfast and lunch programs
\nin 13 schools. It is becoming increasingly difficult to provide healthy meals
\n\u2014 which research shows will increase academic engagement, positive behaviors,
\nand student wellness \u2014 due to a critical labor shortage, decreased program
\nenrollment, and the innumerable federal mandates with which the program must
\ncomply.<\/p>\n

Michelle knows the importance of providing
\nhealthy meals in schools. She had an indigent childhood and took advantage of
\nschool meals when she could. Her experiences gave her empathy for our highest
\nneed students. \u201cI know what it is to be homeless as a child, not to have dinner
\nas a child, and we don\u2019t know where these kiddos are coming from. It shouldn\u2019t
\nmatter \u2014 we should be able to provide them with the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even as a kid, she says, \u201cI would go out and
\nserve the homeless every holiday and school break.\u201d That passion has translated
\nto feeding all the kids in the valley, which she has been doing for 23 years in
\nfood services, the past of 11 of them as the director. \u201cIt brings such joy
\nknowing that they can get a hot lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michelle\u2019s department is part of the National
\nSchool Lunch Program, a federally assisted meal program operating under the
\nguidance of the federal government since 1946. Participating school districts
\nreceive cash subsidies for each reimbursable meal they serve, and in exchange,
\nschools must comply with a vast and complicated set of regulations.<\/p>\n

Things got more complicated in 2012 when the
\nHealthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was instituted to reduce the level of childhood
\nobesity and encourage healthier eating habits. The act requires more fruits,
\nvegetables, and whole grains; limits sodium and fat content; and specifies the
\nnumber of calories served. This is all great, but the net effects on the food
\nservices program have been more costs, more paperwork, more food waste, and,
\nironically, fewer homegrown and home-cooked meals. And partly because the lower
\nsalt, lower fat meals are out of line with typical American eating habits, kids
\naren\u2019t participating as much in the meal program.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s impossible to explain the complexities of
\nthe program guidelines, but Michelle gave some examples:<\/p>\n