PCA receives federal grant

Consultants from the Illinois State Board of Education Lindsay Blough (left) and Roxanne Ramage (right) presented Princeton Christian Academy Principal Marty Kiser (middle) with materials to start the implementation of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. PCA was one of only 25 schools in Illinois to receive the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable grant for 2008-09. (Photo contributed)

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PRINCETON — Princeton Christian Academy recently received a federal grant for more than $4,200 worth of free fresh fruit and vegetables for the PCA students and staff during the 2008-09 school year. PCA was one of only 25 schools in the state to be chosen to receive this grant. The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program was begun in 2002 by the United States Department of Agriculture to create healthier school environments, to expand the variety of fruits and vegetables consumed, to increase fruit and vegetable consumption by students and to make a difference in children’s diets. In 2002, the program was piloted in only four states, but now the FFVP has expanded to all states nationwide. This is the first year for Illinois to participate in the FFVP.

The PCA students will begin the new school year with sweet corn and watermelon served at the very first lunch. The mid-morning snacks will also consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, and a salad bar is being purchased with some of the grant money so that fresh salads may accompany lunches throughout the school year. Principal Marty Kiser, who wrote the grant, is very excited about the possibilities this grant brings to the Academy: “This grant is such a wonderful surprise, and it fits so well with PCA’s goal of encouraging healthy choices in our students, physically as well as spiritually. We believe healthy diets in our students enhance their abilities to concentrate and perform well academically. We are very excited.”

There are many side benefits to the FFVP. Princeton Christian Academy will be partnering will local growers and orchards as much as possible in providing fresh produce for the students. Peelings and rinds will be composted for use with the school’s gardening projects. The students will receive regular instruction on the health benefits of consuming fresh produce. “The research conducted by the USDA shows that for most grades, candy intake decreased during the first year of promoting fresh fruits and vegetables. This will make a difference in children’s health for their whole lives,” Kiser noted.