BRECKSVILLE, Ohio – As school districts worked over the summer to get food to the students that had traditionally relied on meals from schools, Pisanick Partners saw its mission as a nutrition consultancy find a new purpose.
In Garfield Heights, Pisanick Partners helped the school district provide hot, fresh meals to students beginning in March, when the school district moved to remote learning.
“While most districts were struggling to purchase individually wrapped items, the district utilized the current menu and overwrap machine to package hot, fresh meals. The district has also been able to maintain all the staff and utilize the labor hours to make quality meals kids enjoy,” says CEO Maureen Pisanick. “The district is even still participating in local takeover days in order to celebrate local foods and engage the students.”
At Woodridge Local Schools, meanwhile, the district has partnered with local vendors to provide students with food and used buses to deliver meals directly to students’ homes.
“The team has rallied to provide meals for the students and take great pride in the meals thus carefully selecting the meals to ensure the kids are offered their favorite items,” Pisanick says. “The district continues to adapt and rally together. Afterall, the focus of school nutrition is to provide healthy meals that students love.”
Pisanick Partners has worked with several organizations over the past year, including local food banks and Feed our Future, as well as parent-teacher organizations.
“If we could add value and resources to our curbside meals, we took advantage of any and all offers for our kids and families,” Pisanick says.