Frequently Asked Questions Download PDF

Q.What is Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools?

A. Let's Move Salad Bars to Schoolsis a comprehensivegrassroots public health effort to mobilize and engage stakeholders at thelocal, state and national level to support salad bars in schools. Our vision isto significantly increase salad bars in schools across the country until everychild has the choice of healthy fruits and vegetables every day at school.Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools is an initiative of the Food Family Farming Foundation, National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance, United Fresh Produce Association Foundation and Whole Foods Markets to support First LadyMichelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative. The goal of Let's Move Salad Bars toSchools is to fund and award 6,000 salad bars by the end of 2013. Learn moreabout how to get support for bringing a salad bar to a school in your communityat www.saladbars2schools.org.

Q.My school is not public. May we still applyfor the Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools grant?

A. Any school, public or private, participating inthe National School LunchProgram(NSLP) may apply for a Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools grant. If your schooldoes not participate in NSLP, you are welcome to take advantage of all of thefree resources available on our website to assist you in planning andimplementing a salad bar at your school.

Q. I work for a district that would like toapply for multiple salad bars at one time, is there a process for that?

A. Yes! In that case it will be up to the districtto determine how many salad bars they need and which schools will get saladbars once funded. Districts may apply for a maximum of one salad bar per schoolsite.

Q.What will my school or district need to completean application?

A. A sample application is available on thewebsite at the top of the "Begin Application" page. The application process isshort and easy, requiring information such as

• contactinformation for the Food Services Director,
• districtshipping address,
• Superintendent contact information and district address,
• district enrollment,
• free and reduced participation percentage,
• and multiple choice questions about the foods you serve in school lunch and how your school food service will support the operation of the salad bar throughout the school year.

A critical part of the application is supportand approval from the district administrators for the salad bar and district readinessfor implementation. Verification and signature forms must be signed by the FoodServices Director and the Superintendent and returned to us before yourapplication can be funded.

Q.How long will it take to receive a salad bar after we submit our application?

A.Once you submit your application you willreceive notice that your application is complete.  Your district will belisted on our websiteÕs donation page.  Please be aware that it can takeup to six months to receive notice that funds have become available for yourrequested salad bars depending on the number of schools already in the queue toreceive salad bars and other application criteria.

Once you receive notice that funds have becomeavailable, your salad bar(s) is/are ordered and shipped, and will arrive inapproximately five weeks from the time the order is placed. We ship year round.To fund as many districts as possible, districts that apply for multiple saladbars may receive an initial notice that funds have become available for aportion of the salad bars. The remainder of the salad bars will be funded andshipped at a later time.

Q.Do we have to raise money for the salad bar?

A. No, you don't have to raise money for yoursalad bar, but schools and districts can participate in fundraising to receivecommunity support for their salad bar programs. Our donation webpage isdesigned to be shared via Twitter, Facebook and Email to help yourdistrict/school raise awareness in your community about your intention tolaunch a new salad bar program. Encourage your fans to join your cause and supportyour salad bar. Donors can fund your district directly by searching the"find your school/district" button on the homepage or finding yourdistrict from the donation page of the website. Fundraising tips can be foundon our Resources page.

Q.My local health authority's regulationsrequire use of an electric refrigerated (mechanically cooled) salad bar in ourschools. Are electric salad bars available as part of the grant?

A. Yes, electric salad bars can be granted,however the electric bars are significantly more expensive than insulated saladbars. Cambro, our salad bar provider, has provided a list of the temperatureretention tests that have proven the insulated bar's capacity to holdtemperatures below 41 degrees for four hours. It is available on the Resources page and we recommend that districts presentthe cold retention documentation and your Standard Operating Procedures to yourlocal health authority before assuming that only an electric bar will beacceptable. To inquire about an electric bar, send an email to info@saladbars2schools.org . Please type: MAY NEEDELECTRIC in the subject line and include your name, the name of your school ordistrict, and contact phone number.

Q.How much will it cost to have a salad bar offered every day in our school?

A. A full explanation of salad bar costs isaddressed in The Lunch Box Salad BarGuide on our Resource page or on The Lunch Box. The cost ofmaintaining a salad bar varies depending on a number of factors: a) the numberof fruit, vegetable and protein choices your salad bar offers, b) where yousource your food, and c) how well the food is managed both during preparationand in the daily maintenance of the salad bar during service. It is importantto evaluate how the salad bar will be integrated into the overall school menuas its choices can replace other costs in the current meal structure.

Q.What are some ways my school can controlcosts in providing a salad bar?

A. The salad bar can be as simple or elaborate asyour school chooses. Working with your purveyors so they understand the volumeof product that will be purchased for your salad bar helps to achieve morecompetitive pricing. Focusing your choices, especially fruits, when they are inseason is another important cost saving factor. Use of USDA commodity foodslike diced chicken, cheese, beans, frozen corn and peas (during the winter) isalso a key method to controlling salad bar costs. You can find more detailedinformation in our guide.

If you have a specific question that are notanswered in these Frequently Asked Questions, please check the ApplicationGuidelines and email info@saladbars2schools.orgwith 'Grant question' in the subject line.