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Lawndale school nutrition team highlights central kitchen, new recipes and rising meal counts
Summary
The district’s Nutrition & Wellness director presented a push for more scratch cooking through a small central kitchen, staff apprenticeship training and new farm partnerships; she reported roughly 922,000 meals in 2023‑24 and about 983,000 in 2024‑25 and said some federal CalFresh shelter funding was recently cut.
Lizette Rooney, the district’s director of Nutrition & Wellness, told the Lawndale Elementary School District board that the nutrition team has been building a small central (scratch) kitchen, training staff through apprenticeship and pre‑apprenticeship programs, and testing new menus to increase both quality and participation.
Rooney said the central kitchen staff—including production chef Sandra Orozco—are developing scratch items such as apple‑cinnamon bread, cinnamon‑swirl pancakes and classroom‑tested recipes that students prefer. She described partnerships with local farms and suppliers (Lopez Family Farm in Stanford, Madera Queen Honey, Old Grove Orange in Riverside County and Martinez Apiaries) and a pilot “harvest of the month” program at several elementary sites to introduce new produce in classrooms and cafeterias.
Why it matters: Rooney framed the work as an effort to reduce childhood hunger, improve nutrition and increase meal participation. She said the district served roughly 922,000 meals in school year 2023‑24 and about 983,000 meals in 2024‑25, figures she cited to show growth in meals served despite declining enrollment. She also said the district used grants—including a CDFA Farm to School incubator grant—to fund central kitchen positions and training.
Rooney told the board the district is adjusting after some federal funding changes, saying that CalFresh Shelter Living support has been cut at the federal level and the district is seeking other ways to sustain programs. She emphasized hands‑on student engagement (farm visits, farmer‑led nutrition education) and staff training through certified pre‑apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs to professionalize kitchen roles.
Board response and next steps: Trustees praised the team’s outreach and the kitchen’s work on recipe development; trustees asked whether family‑friendly recipes could be shared online so parents can recreate meals at home. Rooney said the department has created family‑sized recipe portions and will consider posting them to the district website for easier access.
The presentation also highlighted the district’s recent community event—the “Grateful Gathering”—which Rooney and other staff said served about 269 families (over 800 people) with the help of more than 30 partner organizations. The board did not take any formal action on the presentation; several consent and superintendent action items were approved later in the meeting.
