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Chartwells highlights CEP, fresh-fruit grant and summer meal sites to Beloit board committee
Summary
District food-service contractor Chartwells told the committee the district has operated on the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for about 11 years, won a $99,000 Fresh Fruit & Vegetable grant for next year, and runs multiple summer meal sites across the city.
Chartwells, the district’s contracted food-service provider, presented an annual summary of school nutrition activities, grants and summer feeding operations to the Business Operations & Finance Committee and to the regular board session.
Sarah and Dawn of Chartwells introduced the team and described meal-program compliance, nutrition standards and the district’s long-running Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) participation. Dawn told the committee that Beloit has been on CEP for about 11 years and said CEP "has taken a lot of stigma away from our kids." She explained CEP means all students in participating schools receive free meals during the school day.
The Chartwells team reported grant activity and other funding developments. The district was approved for a Fresh Fruit and Vegetable grant for next year at $99,000; Chartwells reported an equipment grant application for $30,000 is under review and said the district historically has received equipment grants when other districts do not apply. Staff said federal food-service aid levels are not expected to be cut at this time and that the district recently completed its DPI audit processes.
Chartwells also described summer feeding and community outreach sites: Beloit Public Library, Merrill Community Center, Stateline YMCA and several school locations (including Beloit Memorial High School and elementary sites). The team said summer sites have attracted children and families and that Chartwells staff have visited sites frequently.
Chartwells described student engagement and menu changes during the school year, including a “Discovery Kitchen” program at elementary schools, a “Mood Boost” sampling and a Global Eats menu rotation. Staff said participation fell at two elementary breakfast service sites after a service-pattern change (moving from in-classroom breakfast to grab-and-go carts with 15 minutes to serve), and they plan to work on participation strategies for the coming year.
Board members asked about federal poverty guidelines and household income forms used for Title I and other purposes; Dawn and Chartwells staff said most eligible households are “direct certified,” and that household income forms are used primarily for Title I and fee-waiver qualification. The committee thanked the Chartwells team and moved on to other agenda items.
