The Plum School District has made great strides the past year or two in student nutrition.

It launched a Summer Food Service Program at Holiday Park Elementary and served 70 children Mondays through Thursdays from July 15 through Aug. 1.

District Food Services Director Jessica Griggle also brought in Second Chance and Grab and Go, both grant-funded breakfast programs, during that time.

The Spirit Cafe, a student-designed space run by life skills students, also provides breakfast outside of the high school cafeteria.

Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank officials recognized those efforts and presented Griggle with the 2019 Crystal Apple award Tuesday night.

“(They’ve) done a lot to increase school breakfast participation, and have shown a buy-in from the administration, the school board and food service director that nutrition is important,” said Chris West, the food bank’s child nutrition outreach supervisor. “They view that as key to making sure their students can learn and are healthy.”

The award has been given annually since 2014 to school districts that show excellence in student nutrition.

Griggle thanked West for the honor and called it a team effort.

“I think we have an amazing team and we’re willing to go above and beyond to ensure the kids in our district have access to healthy and nutritious meals,” she said.

Griggle said the breakfast efforts have resulted in about a 50% increase in student participation districtwide, and the summer program has increased greatly and started early due to the covid-19 pandemic.

She said this summer’s meals began June 1 and are scheduled to be given through July 31 Mondays through Thursdays at both Holiday Park and the high school. About 300 children are served each day.

More information bout the program is available on the food services section of the district’s website.

Plum was one of four districts to receive the award and the only one in Allegheny County.

Other school districts given a crystal apple were Armstrong School District in Armstrong County, Albert Gallatin School District in Fayette County and Windber Area School District in Somerset and Cambria counties.

The crystal apple was not the only gift to the food services department Tuesday night.

Pivik Elementary students Layla Pazman and Pina Dapra presented Griggle with a $1,640 check toward student accounts and summer meals.

The money was part of the proceeds the girls raised in their virtual bake sale for No Kid Hungry PA, a local part of the national effort to end childhood hunger.

This year marked the students’ fifth annual bake sale. Griggle will start her fifth school year as food services director in August.

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