Balancing the books of a school’s food service program amid more strict federal lunch guidelines has led some districts to opt out of the new requirements and lose the funding tied to those guidelines. Voorheesville Central School District though is coming closer to getting out of the red without the federal funds with meal options for students and families.
Voorheesville’s school lunch fund, encompassing all of its food services, has a net loss for this school year, but it’s still less than last school year. Expenses from the start of this school year through Nov. 30 totaled almost $150,000 and revenues reached just over $126,000. During the same time last year, the program had a net loss of around $32,150 compared to approximately $22,800 this year.
Tim Mulligan, chef and district cook manager, said opting out of the federal guidelines was the right move to bring its lunch program into the black while continuing to offer nutritious meals.
“I actually think it has made it easier,” Mulligan said, “because we actually have the kids back in here buying what they want and we don’t have too much waste.”
Voorheesville opted out of the federal lunch guidelines after less than six months and was one of the first districts in the region to make the move, with Bethlehem eventually dropping the guidelines at its high school.
Gregory Diefenbach, assistant superintendent for business at Voorheesville, gave a presentation on the school lunch fund at the Board of Education meeting Monday, Dec. 9. He said roughly one-third of food service program expenses are from the elementary school, with the remainder from the middle and high schools.
“We’ve really made some great strides in all the areas as far as the school lunch program goes,” Diefenbach said. “Our actual numbers are looking very good as far as revenues and expenses go.”
At the beginning of this school year, the lunch fund was around $55,000 in the red, according to Diefenbach, but programs outside of the lunch and breakfast lines are responsible for a rebound.
In September, Mulligan developed “Meals-to-Go” as a way to bring in additional revenue. The program has him cooking up prepared meals generally every other Wednesday and selling a complete dinner to parents and community members.
“It has been amazing how many people come out. It has been a huge, huge success,” Mulligan said.
A total of 1,281 meals have been sold since the program began. The most popular meal has been the chicken parmesan dinner at 267 meals sold and the least popular was salad dinner at 143 meals.
“The one that was not a hit, we were shocked about, because that is the one that everybody loves, but we figured it was the timing. Most people don’t have the mindset that a salad is dinner,” Diefenbach said. “We know we are going to do quite a few more chicken parmesans, I can tell you that.”
The average net profit for the first six Meals-to-Go offerings was $353 or about 27 percent. The average number of meals sold was 214.
“By and large the program is going okay,” Diefenbach said. “It’s a new venture for us … so everything is like a test case for us, but I think the way we are proceeding is the best we can.”
Another new addition is opening the Blackbird Bistro in the cafeteria after school, so students can pick up sandwiches, salads, drinks and other items. As of Dec. 13, the café had made a net profit of $470.
Diefenbach said the district is looking to start marketing its Blackbird Bistro offerings during the Meals-to-Go program.
“We are going to have all these sandwiches that are laying out there anyway,” he said, “so when people pick up their Meal-to-Go, we are going to say, ‘Oh, by the way, look at these sandwiches.’”
The overall response in a recent survey taken by the district on the new program was positive, with some respondents saying they wished the program was running every week.
Marsha Lounsbury, of Voorheesville, picked up the tortellini dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 18, with her son and daughter. She said the meals have been a nice option for her family.
“The meals are always your top restaurant quality, delicious food,” Lounsbury said. “It is just nice because of it being such a nice timesaver for busy families for at least two nights. The portions are really nice, too. It is a bargain.”
Laura Blow, whose husband is the school board president, agreed the price is reasonable, and the food is more healthy than grabbing fast food.
“We have gotten every single one of them. It is just quick, convenient and delicious. What’s not to love?” Blow said. “The kids look forward to it and I do because I don’t have to cook.”
A menu of upcoming meals can be found on the school district’s website at vcsd.neric.org, or in the Spotlight community section in print.
Meal reservations must be placed at least 24 hours in advance for a dinner by emailing Christy Rivenburg at [email protected] or by calling her at 765-3313 extension 109. Meals can be picked up from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on the days its offered.
Diefenbach said the district was going to try to expand its offerings. One new proposal was spurred by the girls basketball team wanting a “sports-to-go” option, which is a prepared dinner which sport teams could grab before hitting the road for away games.
“We are hoping this will catch on with all of our sports programs over time,” he said.
Superintendent Teresa Thayer Snyder said the sports-to-go program would fill a need while helping generate revenue.
“I think it has been really interesting to have some creative uses coming forward from things like catering sports meals for when the kids are traveling,” Snyder said. “That’s a big issue. They leave here early and they don’t get to eat until late, late, late.”