Nutrition services report: Carmel Unified highlights free meals, local sourcing and staffing limits
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Summary
Director Alexis Supancik told the board the district serves roughly 1,900 meals daily across eight sites, with federal and state reimbursements supporting operations; trustees pressed on facilities, food waste handling, local sourcing and how facilities constraints affect scratch‑cooking plans.
Alexis Supancik, director of Nutrition Services, told the Carmel Unified School District Board that the department served an average of 960 breakfasts and 947 lunches per day from August to October, roughly 43% of district enrollment, or about 1,900 meals daily.
Supancik outlined the district’s funding structure and operations: the district participates in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture; current federal reimbursement cited in the presentation is $3.46 for breakfast and $5.49 for lunch. She reported about $410,000 in federal reimbursements and $1,254,000 in state reimbursements for the most recent year presented.
Supancik described a hybrid production model with central production at the high school and on‑site heating/production at smaller campuses. She said the department has improved breakfast offerings (bagels, scones, hash browns, breakfast burritos) and is piloting more locally sourced items — including sourcing fresh tortillas from Watsonville and a partnership with small local farms and distributors such as Watsonville Coast Produce and Ichigo Farms.
Board members pressed on facility constraints and food waste. Supancik said the high‑school central kitchen is “just short of a miracle” for what it produces now, and that some small, targeted equipment investments (planned at River School) will enable more on‑site hot prep. Regarding excess food, Supancik said perishable salad bar items are composted and, when feasible near breaks, surplus produce is donated to local nonprofits.
Trustees suggested exploring additional farm‑to‑school partnerships (a trustee recommended the Conscious Kitchen program) and requested that nutrition staff proceed with student and parent satisfaction surveys planned as part of the district strategic plan. Supancik said the department will pilot at least one scratch‑cooked menu item per quarter at the central kitchen and continue to seek local suppliers.
Because the item was presented as information only, there was no board action. The board’s next steps include tracking participation rates, piloting menu changes, surveying satisfaction and reporting back as part of strategic plan objectives.