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One way schools can make sure that students have access to healthy food options is to implement the use of salad bars in school cafeterias. The United Research and Education Foundation (United Fresh Foundation) recently installed salad bars in four schools that are a part of the Ferguson-Florissant School District, thanks to Monsanto St. Louis site employees who nominated the organization for a $10,000 grant.

The United Fresh Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Washington D.C., provides salad bars to school districts across the United States through its Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative. This supports First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to end childhood obesity within a generation. www.letsmove.gov.

The United Fresh Foundation will utilize the grant to provide salad bars to schools in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, including Duchesne Elementary School, Berkeley Middle School, Cross Keys Middle School and Griffith Elementary School. The grant was part of a $20,000 grant to eight total schools, the other four  in California.

“We are always looking for ways to encourage our students to select more fresh fruits and vegetables at lunch, and the salad bars are a great way to do just that,” said Scott Williams, Ferguson-Florissant School District’s food service director. “We currently have salad bars in many of our elementary schools and when students have access to a variety of fruits and vegetables on a salad bar, they eat more of these healthy foods.”

David Stark, Monsanto consumer benefits lead, was excited to play a part in the donation. “Access to a healthy and nutritious lunch is important to a student’s development, both in body and mind,” Stark said.

“Monsanto Fund is proud to provide United Fresh Foundation and the Ferguson-Florissant School District with the funds needed to ensure its students have healthy options for such an important meal during the school day.”

The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, presented the $10,000 grant to the Ferguson-Florissant School District at Griffith Elementary School on Sept. 13.