National School Lunch Week (NSLW), created in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy, celebrates the benefits of the National School Lunch Program. This year’s National School Lunch Week is October 14-18. The music-based theme is “SchoolLunch: What’s on Your Playlist?”, which spotlights the wide variety of flavors, dishes, delivery options and tastes that can be customized in today’s school lunch.
Why Participate in National School Lunch Week?
- It’s a great way to increase participation
- It spreads the message to parents, administrators and teachers that you’re serving healthy, delicious lunches
- Earn media coverage from local TV stations and bloggers
“What’s on your Playlist?”
Music builds cultural bridges and creates communal experiences, just like school lunch. It’s intricately woven into rituals (such as eating) that define our experiences – particularly though our school years. A “playlist” implies a wide range of tastes, similar to school lunch, which is increasingly catering to the made-to-order tastes of students. With customization and increased choice, today’s cafeterias are serving up menu items that kids want to eat.
‘Pump Up the Volume’ to Reach your Audience
Here are a few ways you can ‘pump up the volume’ and turn your school lunch playlist into increased participation in October.
- Take your Parent to Lunch Day
a. Invite parents to see how much school lunch has changed
b. Offer a free lunch coupon
c. Conduct a tour of the kitchen
d. Provide parents with family-sized recipes of their favorite menu item - Invite local music celebrities to be guest servers and give a performance
- Creative music-themed menu names, such as:
a. Pitch-Perfect Pizza
b. Rockin’ Rice Bowls
c. Techno Tacos
d. Island Breeze Reggae Rice
e. Chart-Topper Cheeseburgers - Serve a “hit” breakfast-for-lunch item and cross-promote two programs at once
- Create buzz on social media throughout the week long celebration
a. Consider streaming a Facebook Live video for one of your events (be aware of your district or school’s policy on photo releases with students)
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to make some noise and put school lunch in the spotlight! It’s a great time to remind students, families and staff that school meals can be music to their ears. If you have student holiday or teacher work day during National School Lunch Week, don’t worry – you can celebrate anytime!
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