At its Oct. 21 meeting, the Grafton School Committee heard a food-service report from Whitsons district manager Joe Armenti and Grafton school nutrition director Betsy Labonte, who said breakfast and lunch participation has risen year over year and outlined menu changes, sustainability steps and recent equipment upgrades.

Labonte told the committee the district “added a chef to our program,” hired in October, who spent the year promoting new menu items and conducting in-school promotions that the presenters said raised daily participation. She listed recent items and promotions that included a pancake “ring” made with whole-grain batter, a chicken gyro, a loaded potato offering and a Chick-fil-A–style chicken sandwich the presentation called the “Yod Bird.” Labonte said the district continues to provide a meatless option on Mondays and that featured items cause daily participation “to go right up.”

The presentation included program changes the district said are intended to improve student choice and nutrition. Whitsons increased “food bar” options so students can build their own meals; ran themed pop-up shops; brought local seafood through a Red’s Best partnership that provides a catch-of-the-day; and staged a “Lunch With Leadership” promotion that Labonte said included a guest chef and staff participation.

The vendors and nutrition staff described sustainability work underway. The district began kitchen-only composting last year and has added high-school and middle-school lunch food waste to the program, with the goal of extending it to elementary schools. Labonte said the district “came just shy of the thousand pounds last year” in material collected for the Trex-style recycling program and expects to reach the threshold this school-year, which the recycler marks by awarding a school bench.

Equipment replacements noted in the presentation included a new server at North Grafton and a replacement walk-in freezer at North Street, which Labonte said was original to the building and “certainly needed to be upgraded.” The presentation also highlighted staff training: the program offers to pay for ServSafe certification and keeps USDA-required trainings current; staff will also have access to additional online “nuts-and-bolts” modules.

Committee members asked for clarification about participation metrics and next steps. Labonte explained the participation rate is calculated by dividing meals served by enrollment and answered follow-up questions about where breakfast participation tends to be lowest (high school) and how a later start at some elementary schools has improved breakfast uptake. Committee members also asked whether fish service at the high school had gone over well; staff said students who tried it generally enjoyed it and that the district would “gauge interest” before expanding to other schools.

Labonte and Armenti thanked school volunteers and staff. The committee voiced appreciation for the nutrition team’s outreach, noting Massachusetts funds free breakfast and lunch and expressing hope that funding continues.

Less-critical details: presenters said they offer catering for school events and that student mentorship opportunities at the middle and high schools have provided training support in cafeteria operations. The committee did not take formal action on the food-service report.