Martinsburg Elementary Awarded Food Service Equipment Grant

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced on Jan. 28 that more than $925,000 in competitive grants had been awarded to 72 elementary, middle and high schools across the state for the purchase of new food service equipment for cafeterias.

The Martinsburg Elementary School was awarded a Food Service Equipment Grant for the purchase of a Double Stack Combi Oven for $34,691.

District Superintendent Dr. Betsy Baker said the Food Service Equipment Grant application process allows the district to submit a request for one piece of cafeteria equipment per school.

Each year, Kathy Hazenstab, SCSD business manager, submits applications for each of the district's schools, Dr. Baker said.

"These are highly competitive grants, so they are difficult grants to secure," Dr. Baker said. "This year, PDE received 352 applications totaling over $4.9 million. In total, 72 buildings were funded through Pennsylvania's allocation of $930,292."

Spring Cove was the only district in Blair and Bedford counties to receive this grant. SC's award was the seventh-highest award in the state.

"We are extremely pleased that we were able to secure one of these grants and that Martinsburg's application, in particular, was the one that was funded due to the high dollar amount of our request for that school," Dr. Baker said.

"Students perform better in school when they have access to regular, nutritious meals," said Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera. "These grants will help schools upgrade equipment so they can continue to provide the essential meals that students need."

Funding for the grants is made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is awarded to schools which participate in the National School Lunch Program and have 50 percent or more of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Schools often use the grants to purchase new refrigerators, freezers, stoves and dishwashers.

During his tenure, Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf has established the Food Security Partnership, comprised of the secretaries of the departments of Aging, Agriculture, Community and Economic Development, Education, Health, and Human Services; unveiled the commonwealth's food security plan – Setting the Table: A Blueprint for a Hunger-free PA; and introduced the Governor's School Breakfast Initiative.

Under the School Breakfast Initiative, grants of up to $5,000 are available for schools to implement a school breakfast program using an "alternative serving method," like grab-and-go, or Breakfast in the Classroom. Last year, 151 schools were awarded $592,000 from the grants. The food service equipment grants that were awarded can assist schools with purchasing equipment to use in a school breakfast program.

However, proposed changes from the Trump Administration could impact many Pennsylvania families' ability to participate in the programs.

Under a Trump Administration proposal to cut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, more than 22,000 Pennsylvania households with school-age children would no longer qualify for SNAP, and therefore school-age children would no longer be directly certified for free and reduced meals.

Some grant programs, including the food service equipment program, require a school to meet a specific free and reduced lunch eligibility threshold in order to qualify for grant funding. For the equipment grant program, highest priority is given to schools that have at least 50 percent of students eligible for free and reduced lunch. Therefore, any reduction in direct certification through SNAP could impact a school's eligibility for this grant.