Baldwin County School District in Milledgeville, Georgia, is a Healthy Meals Incentive (HMI) grantee and has emerged as a standout example – making remarkable progress toward creating a healthier school environment and fostering lifelong healthy habits in its community. Through the HMI Initiative, Action for Health Kids (AFHK) partnered with USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to award 264 subgrants to School Food Authorities (SFAs) across the country. These grants were designed to elevate the nutritional quality of school meals and strengthen nutrition education for students and their families.

Prior to receiving funding through HMI, Baldwin County School District faced challenges including limited access to training for nutrition program staff, increased food costs due to limited purchasing power, and lack of additional kitchen equipment to support scratch cooking efforts. As the School Nutrition Department Bookkeeper at Baldwin County School District, Tonia Milner, wrote in the grant application, “The rising costs of foods is one of the major challenges to improving the nutritional quality of school meals.” To address this, the district began cultivating fresh produce through student-led greenhouse, garden, and aquaponics programs. By integrating homegrown produce into their breakfast and lunch programs, they lowered food costs while increasing access to fresh ingredients.

Additionally, Baldwin County School District had experienced high staff turnover and needed to onboard new nutrition program team members. As such, team members needed training in order to increase scratch cooking efforts and decrease the amount of sodium, sugar, and processed foods served in the cafeteria. With the support of HMI funding, the district not only overcame many of its challenges, but also enhanced other aspects of its nutrition program.

To improve their school nutrition team’s scratch cooking skills, Baldwin County School District partnered with the Georgia Department of Education to hire Chef John Huff. The Cafeteria Manager and Nutrition Director met with him to align on HMI project goals and identify training needs. Chef Huff then provided tailored training to nutrition staff at each school to support them in their scratch cooking efforts.

The recipes developed from this process have been a huge hit, and they resulted in four new recipes on their school menus. The SFA did not solely focus on adult learning, though. One of the major successes of this project is how they engaged students throughout each stage, from growing and harvesting produce to recipe development and taste tests.

The high school’s agriculture class starts with seedlings in the greenhouse and transfers them to the school’s expansive gardens. Additionally, students work in the aquaponics lab to grow fresh produce. Produce from the greenhouse, gardens, and aquaponics lab is then served in the cafeteria during breakfast and lunch.

Furthermore, students in the SFA’s culinary classroom prepare new recipes using ingredients grown at the school. They also host taste tests within the school and survey those who sampled. When taste tests reach a 75 percent student satisfaction rate, the recipe gets added to the cafeteria’s menu. A few successful additions to the school’s menu this year include a ramen bar, taco bar, and baked potato bar. Fresh produce from the gardens is used in each recipe, and students enjoy seeing what they grow served in the cafeteria.

Another major success that Baldwin County School District has experienced through HMI is a 30 percent increase in student participation in the School Breakfast Program at the high school by adding a breakfast kiosk.

The Baldwin County School District’s journey with HMI is a powerful testament to what is possible when innovation, collaboration, and student engagement come together to transform school nutrition. By addressing systemic challenges – from rising food costs to staff training needs – this SFA not only improved the quality of its school meals but also created a vibrant, student-centered culture. Through partnerships, hands-on learning, and creative menu development, they’ve empowered students to take ownership over their health and well-being.

As Wellness Coorinator A’Keti so passionately put it:

“A lot of people say think outside the box, but we believe there is no box … We love being able to create and being able to do things that are not traditional. We love being able to get our students in this process. We love hearing their ideas … offering the space for them to create so that our meals are the best meals we can possibly serve to them. We know that if we offer that opportunity to them, that it’s just going to make us better, and it’s … going to make the school system better.”

Baldwin County School District’s success story is not just about healthy meals – it’s also about building a healthier future where students are at the heart of every decision.

Find more HMI success stories in our Cafeteria Chronicles blog

This material is based upon work that is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.