Salad Bars to Schools is sponsored by Chef Ann Foundation. Provides K-12 schools with salad bar equipment, marketing materials, training, and technical assistance to increase access to fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy proteins, prioritizing high free and reduced lunch participation schools.

Chef Ann Foundation | Salad Bars to Schools The Chef Ann Foundation promotes whole-ingredient, scratch cooking in schools. This approach enables schools to serve the healthiest, tastiest meals so that kids are well-fed and ready to learn. Why Cooking in Schools Matters Financials & Annual Reports We’re dedicated to empowering schools nationwide with the tools, training, resources, and funding they need to serve meals.

Browse through programs to learn more about our work and apply for a grant. Healthy School Food Pathway California Pre-Apprenticeship Colorado Pre-Apprenticeship New York Pre-Apprenticeship Virginia Pre-Apprenticeship Since 2009, the Chef Ann Foundation has worked with schools to implement healthy school meal programs. Dive into the organization’s history and learn about our impact on school food reform over the years.

Want to learn how you can create school food change? Our toolkit lays out how to approach your district and advocate for healthier food in your child’s school. Learn more about school food with resources and press materials.

Why Cooking in Schools Matters Everyone has a role to play in transforming school food. Your gift fuels this movement, helping ensure every child has access to healthy, nourishing meals at school. Join us in changing the way we feed our students.

Apply for a grant or program Apply for a grant or program The Chef Ann Foundation promotes whole-ingredient, scratch cooking in schools. This approach enables schools to serve the healthiest, tastiest meals so that kids are well-fed and ready to learn. Why Cooking in Schools Matters Financials & Annual Reports We’re dedicated to empowering schools nationwide with the tools, training, resources, and funding they need to serve meals.

Browse through programs to learn more about our work and apply for a grant. Healthy School Food Pathway California Pre-Apprenticeship Colorado Pre-Apprenticeship New York Pre-Apprenticeship Virginia Pre-Apprenticeship Since 2009, the Chef Ann Foundation has worked with schools to implement healthy school meal programs. Dive into the organization’s history and learn about our impact on school food reform over the years.

Want to learn how you can create school food change? Our toolkit lays out how to approach your district and advocate for healthier food in your child’s school. Learn more about school food with resources and press materials.

Why Cooking in Schools Matters Everyone has a role to play in transforming school food. Your gift fuels this movement, helping ensure every child has access to healthy, nourishing meals at school. Join us in changing the way we feed our students.

// this is used to replace '{slug}' placeholder in content We want every school in the United States to have a salad bar so that all kids — from elementary school through high school — have daily access to fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and plant-based proteins. We donate salad bars to schools nationwide to make this reality possible.

We want every school in the United States to have a salad bar so that all kids — from elementary school through high school — have daily access to fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and plant-based proteins. We donate salad bars to schools nationwide to make this reality possible. The 2026 Salad Bars to Schools grant applications are open!

Learn more and apply . Installing salad bars in schools can have a powerful impact on student health and environmental sustainability. Salad bars help students eat more fruits and vegetables, reduce food and packaging waste, and create more opportunities for schools to source fresh produce from local farms.

Our Salad Bars to Schools Program provides K–12 schools with the equipment and training they need to successfully install salad bars. Installing salad bars in schools can have a powerful impact on student health and environmental sustainability. Salad bars help students eat more fruits and vegetables, reduce food and packaging waste, and create more opportunities for schools to source fresh produce from local farms.

Our Salad Bars to Schools Program provides K–12 schools with the equipment and training they need to successfully install salad bars.

salad bars granted to schools across the U.S. million children have more access to fresh fruits and vegetables salad bars granted to schools across the U.S. million children have more access to fresh fruits and vegetables Salad Bars to Schools was created in response to the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 , championed by former First Lady Michelle Obama, which modernized federal school meal standards by requiring schools to serve students at least a half cup of fruit or vegetables with breakfast and lunch.

While salad bars offer an effective way for schools to meet these federal standards, chronic underfunding of school food programs and historic divestment in kitchen infrastructure left many schools unable to afford salad bar equipment.

To bridge this gap, the Chef Ann Foundation, National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance, United Fresh Start Foundation, and Whole Foods Market launched the Salad Bars to Schools program to donate salad bar equipment, recipes, and training resources to schools across the country. Since 2010, the program has donated over 6,000 salad bars, providing more than 3 million children with more access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

Today, Salad Bars to Schools is operated by the Chef Ann Foundation with support from the Whole Foods Market Foundation. Get salad bars in all schools. Donate today.

Salad bars can encourage kids to eat more fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and plant-based proteins. They present fresh, whole foods in an appealing way, and give students more control over what they choose to eat. Salad bars create more opportunities for schools to purchase fresh, seasonal produce from nearby farms — boosting student health while investing in local economies.

Schools can also source more organic and sustainably grown ingredients from farms when they have salad bars. Reduce food and packaging waste Salad bars can help schools cut back on plastics — like single-use plastic containers. They can also help cut food waste because they give students more control over what they eat and portion sizes, so that students are more likely to eat what they take.

Get Salad Bars in All Schools You can help us get salad bars in more schools across the U.S. by donating . If you represent a foundation or corporate giving program: Contact us at dev@chefannfoundation. org to learn how you can sponsor this program.

If you represent a school or district: The 2026 Salad Bars to Schools grant applications are open! Learn more and apply . Get Salad Bars in All Schools You can help us get salad bars in more schools across the U.S. by donating .

If you represent a foundation or corporate giving program: Contact us at dev@chefannfoundation. org to learn how you can sponsor this program. If you represent a school or district: The 2026 Salad Bars to Schools grant applications are open!

Learn more and apply . How Corporate Giving Put Fresh Vegetables on Students’ Lunch Trays Mixing It Up: 10 Ways to Spice Up Your School Salad Bar Plant Power for The Planet The generous support from our program sponsors make this work possible. If you’d like to become a program sponsor, contact us at dev@chefannfoundation.

org . The School Food Institute gives school food service professionals and childhood nutrition advocates the in-depth training, operational skills, and strategic vision necessary to make school food fresh, healthy, and sustainable.

The Lunch Box is an online resource that is dedicated to supporting school districts and food service teams in transitioning their food programs from relying on processed foods to incorporating scratch cooking and fresh ingredients. School Food News Updates and opportunities for school food changemakers. The Lunch Box Recipes, resources, and opportunities for school food professionals.

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