Continue to expand the reimbursable meal vending machines to additional schools - 2 of 5 years

s

The Reimbursable Meal Vending Machine project pilot, which began at the end of the FY14 school year in four high schools, was developed to serve as an alternative method for students to purchase a healthy lunch.  The pilot was a success, and the project was expanded to several middle and high schools in FY15 and FY16. 

During the FY16 school year, the schools were given the option to not only offer reimbursable lunches, but also breakfast and a la carte snacks. 

Since the inception of the vending machine project, the number of meals served and the number of machines per site has fluctuated.  This is due to several factors, including:  the number of lunch lines open in the cafeteria, the number of students in the school, as well as network issues within the school.

Approximately 42,000 meals were sold throughout the FY16 school year.  Although this was a significant drop from FY15, School Food Service regularly evaluates the success of each vending machine and works with the Food Service Managers to ensure that the students’ needs are being met.