As soon as the students get off the bus at Morrow Middle School each morning, the first thing they see is Barbara O'Connor and her breakfast cart. For 10 years at the school south of Atlanta, the 66-year-old nutrition manager has made sure every student who walks through the doors has the chance to start their day with a healthy breakfast. "Apples, bananas, oranges, sliced pears, mandarin oranges, sliced peaches or whole peaches – lots of fresh peaches.
They can get a half a cup of fruit or a piece of whole fruit every day," she said. There are other choices as well, including cereal, muffins and yogurt, for example. "Most of our stuff is whole grain," O'Connor said.
"We also offer strawberry-banana or peach smoothies, and this year we'll give them the option of hard-boiled eggs." "If they want it, they can take it and go into the cafeteria to eat or go straight to the classroom with it," she said. Best of all, the food is free to any student who wants it.
And if they want seconds? She's not going to tell them no. "They will sneak back when it's something good to get another one." Meals offered in public schools are gradually being brought in line with the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans, limiting added sugars and allowing for protein-rich breakfast options such as yogurt, tofu, nuts and seeds as an alternative to sugary breakfast foods.
O'Connor, winner of the No Kid Hungry School Breakfast Hero award in 2019, talked about her school nutrition work with American H.