Last week, the Director of the Northfield School District Child Nutrition Service, Stephany Stromme, presented the 2024-25 food service budget to the Northfield School Board.
Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann said Child Nutrition Services in the schools has evolved quite a bit from what adults might remember from their days in school. With a strong movement for farm-to-table, the food being served in 2024 is a far cry from what was served in 1978.
“In some cases, people have this mindset about the child nutrition services of, say, the 1970s. Beef-a-Roni. And, you know, they were doing the best that they could with what they had at the time. I think many people in the community would be pleasantly surprised to see the high-quality food that is being served in our schools. Look at the photos of the fruits and vegetables that they are offering students. You’ll just be really impressed.”
With the state legislature having created the Free School Meals Program last year, the district is adjusting to feeding every student for free. Hillmann said the program is supplemental to the National School Lunch program, run by the US Department of Agriculture, which he called the foundation of the child nutrition program, and he said it appears the district is receiving enough funding to pay for the program.
There have been some surprises. The district is receiving a windfall by not paying credit card fees they otherwise would have incurred when parents paid into their child’s food account with a credit card. But perhaps the biggest surprise is the number of students taking advantage of the free breakfast. Hillmann said, according to Stromme’s presentation, breakfast is up 60% over last year. Hillmann said the ease and convenience of being able to let their child eat breakfast at school has parents rethinking their mornings.
“Kids are getting breakfast and I think families are saying, ‘I’m at the grocery store and I’m thinking about getting the supplies for my typical breakfast but wait a minute. I can save a few minutes in the morning, I can send my kids to school, and I know that they can get a free nutritious breakfast.’ I think a lot of people are taking advantage of that.”
Hillmann said lunch is up as well, but not as much since so many students were already getting their lunch at school.
As the Child Nutrition Budget is a stand-alone program, separate from the district’s general fund, Hillmann said a budget revision was necessary for the year. Both the Child Nutrition and Community Education budgets are being brought in line with the general fund and they would like to have the same 14% fund balance at the end of the year that the general fund has. Dr. Hillman said those numbers are down this year, but they will continue to work toward the goal.
Health Summit includes ten separate speakers, Café Shawn lunch
This Saturday a gathering of Northfield health practitioners in both standard and alternative disciplines will host the inaugural Northfield Holistic Health Summit.
Noel Aldrich, a Northfield Nutritionist, said the idea came from a discussion he had about a year ago with local acupuncturist Rhonda Witmer. After she asked Aldrich to talk to a group of her clients, they began to discuss the possibility of bringing several professionals together, he said, to discuss alternative methods to finding better health.
“Most people are familiar with the medical model and the different ways that medical doctors will address health issues. The focus of this summit is to look at the larger picture. What are the other ways? Other therapies that are available.”
Among those who will be speaking are Aaron Schindler, an acupuncturist who specializes in Chinese herbal medicine, Ellen Saul, a psychologist will talk about the importance of selfcare, Herbalist LuAnne Raadt will give a presentation called “Tea, the Elixir of Health,” and neurologist Dr. Brad Lindsey will give the keynote address entitled Bio Resonance Testing for Pathogens, which uses physics to better measure a person’s health.
Aldrich, who has run his Nutritional Clinic in Northfield for eleven years, said he will be discussing the effects of diet on a person’s metabolism.
“One of the core issues that I work with is metabolic balance. How is my metabolism working and what is out of balance. When metabolism is out of balance it can result in diabetes, it can result in high blood pressure, it can result in cholesterol levels being out of balance. It directly affects inflammation. So, how we feel in the morning when we get up.”
In all, Aldrich said there will be ten speakers for the day. The event will be structured so someone may attend three breakout session presentations, and the Keynote address. Lunch will be provided, Aldrich said, catered by Café Shawn.
The Northfield Holistic Health Summit will be held this Saturday, May 4th, at Emmaus Church from 9:30am-3:30pm. Tickets are $35 each and may be purchased online at nutritionproportion.net/healthsummit2024. Please note that online ticket sales will close tomorrow.
2024 is the third and final round of Riverfront grants
The City of Northfield is now accepting applications for the 2024 round of Riverfront Enhancement Grants. This is the third and final year of the program, which was originally approved by the Economic Development Authority in 2021.
A statement issued by the City of Northfield said the program was created to help strengthen and revitalize the Cannon riverfront corridor through Downtown Northfield. Eligible projects could include exterior building restoration, painting, siding, landscaping, lighting, repairs to windows and doors, outdoor gathering spaces, and more. A grant will cover as much as 50% of the project cost up to $10,000.
Eligible properties include all privately-owned properties directly abutting the Cannon River. The program district extends from Second Street to Sixth Street along Division Street and to all buildings within the Historic District, with the exception of the post office. Commercial building owners as well as commercial tenants working with property owner’s approval can apply for a Façade Improvement Grant. For-profit and not-for-profit entities are eligible to apply, as long as the grant is used for a commercial building.
Grant funds must be matched 1:1 with private dollars. Owners of multiple properties can apply for separate grants for each property, as long as the cumulative grant amount does not exceed the $10,000 limit. The minimum grant amount is $5,000.
This is a reimbursement program, the statement said. Applicants must complete all improvements and pay for the total project cost or total private match, prior to receiving a reimbursement check from the city.
The online application may be found on the Economic Development Authority section of the Northfield website at northfieldmn.gov. The deadline to apply is May 15.
KYMN Daily News 4/30/24
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
