June 2023 WaveCrest Cafe Newsletter

June 06th, 2023

 

 

Dine With Us All Summer!
Summer Meals Program Runs June 12 – August 9

While June 7th is the last day of the school year, our dedicated team is gearing up for a summer full of tasty, nutritious meals to feed our community. We’ll be serving breakfast and lunch at several sites across the area, and we hope you’ll join us for a healthy, flavor-filled summer.

 

 

Click here to download the summer menu with locations, dates, and times. Here are some more details:

What: No-cost meals for children 18 & under: Meals are available to all children 18 & under with no forms or paperwork required.

When: Our summer meals program runs from June 12 – August 9. We’ll serve breakfast and lunch Monday – Friday, except for Monday, June 19th, and Tuesday, July 4th.

Where: Meals will be served at four school locations as well as the Boys & Girls Club of Vista.

 

 

Why
“Our summer meals program is an integral and important service to fulfill our department’s mission,” says Karolyn Wasung, Director of Child Nutrition Services for Vista Unified School District. 

 

“It’s vital that our students and families know that this program is here to meet the needs of our community. We know that just a fraction of the children who would qualify for free or reduced-price meals during the school year eats a summer meal. Our service is one way to try and narrow the gap of food insecurity and provide tasty and healthy meals to the families we serve.”

 

Fresh Fruits & Veggies
As with all WaveCrest Cafe meals, entrees are served along with a selection of fresh, seasonal fruits & vegetables. Our Farm 2 School program continues all summer long as we work to source fresh, delicious produce from local California farmers. School meal programs are pioneering the accessibility of fresh produce across the country.

 

Schedules and menus are posted on the WaveCrest Cafe website, on our social media channels, and shared via emails and handouts to parents and families from each school.  We encourage everyone in our community to share this information to reach the widest possible audience.

 

In addition to the posted information with locations, dates, times, and menus, anyone can text FOOD (English) or COMIDA (Spanish), to 304-304, to receive information on the closest locations.

 

Join us for meals all summer!

 

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SNACK SMART THIS SUMMER

Planning for healthy snacks can help satisfy hunger between meals and keep you moving toward your food group goals. We’ve got a collection of ideas and tips that can help you to make your summer snacks full of flavor and fun! You can download this easy tip sheet as well: HackingYourSnacks

 

Build Your Own: Make your own trail mix with unsalted nuts and add-ins such as seeds, dried fruit, popcorn, or a sprinkle of chocolate chips.

 

Prep Ahead: Portion snack foods into bags or containers when you get home from the store so they’re ready to grab-n-go when you need them.

 

Make It A Combo: Combine food groups for a satisfying snack—yogurt and berries, apple with peanut butter, whole-grain crackers with turkey and avocado.

 

Eat Vibrant Veggies: Spice up raw vegetables with dips. Try dipping bell peppers, carrots, or cucumbers in hummus, tzatziki, guacamole, or baba ganoush.

 

Snack On The Go: Bring ready-to-eat snacks when you’re out. A banana, yogurt (in a cooler), or baby carrots are easy to bring along and healthy options.

 

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LUNCH HERO DAY RECAP

 

 

Thank you to each and every student, parent, and staff member who made School Lunch Hero Day so special for our team! From thank you cards to posters to hugs and high fives, we so appreciate the way our team was celebrated on May 5th.

 

Here are just a few of the pictures showcasing the celebrations across Vista Unified School District.

 

 

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FARM 2 SCHOOL FOCUS:
School Garden Harvests

 

 

There are three pillars to a Farm 2 School program:

 

Local procurement. We do this by sourcing as much food as possible from local California farmers and food producers. It lets us offer fresh, seasonal produce all year and support our local California agriculture economy.

 

Nutrition Education: Whether it’s Harvest of the Month, a farmer’s market, a cooking cart in the classroom, or our Blender Bikes, these activities provide engaging educational opportunities about nutrition.

 

School gardens: Being hands-on with growing food is a powerful lesson to our students about where food comes from and how easy and rewarding it can be to grow your own food. Students at VAPA & Beaumont recently celebrated bountiful harvests from their schools’ gardens. Congratulations to everyone involved. Please feel free to share your own garden pictures with us.

 

 

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FARM 2 SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT:
193,886 LBS OF LOCAL, CALIFORNIA FOOD

 

As the school year comes to a close we are thrilled to share that WaveCrest Cafe has purchased and served over 193,886 lbs of local, California produce this school year! We believe in the importance of making fresh, seasonal foods available for our entire VUSD community. It’s central to our Farm 2 School program and we are proud to support so many family farms by purchasing and serving local, California fruits & vegetables.

 

Thank you to all of our partners in this effort. We’re excited to continue the process and we’ll see if we can top that number next school year!

 

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WANT A JOB WITH PURPOSE? WE’RE HIRING!

 

If you’re looking for a job that lets you have fun and make a difference in the community, we’ve got one for you! With hours that don’t conflict with kids’ school schedules and a fantastic team of co-workers, WaveCrest Cafe may be just what you’re looking for. Work with a fantastic group of people and amazing students while fulfilling our mission to serve the best school meals.

 

Our team has the unique opportunity to interact with almost every student, every day. Those interactions make a big difference in our kids’ lives, and lead to long-lasting and meaningful friendships.

 

See all of our available positions here: https://wavecrestcafe.com/employment-opportunities/

 

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No Cost for School Meals This Year!

We are thrilled to announce that there will be no cost for school meals in this 2023-24 school year. What’s more, there is no paperwork required for anyone, making meals not just available at no cost, but accessible for all. 

 

Not only can families save plenty of money on food, but with meals ready at school, you’ll have more time to spend together as a family! As always, we are committed to serving fresh, healthy, delicious meals, and working with as many local and California-based farms as possible.

 

Join us for breakfast and lunch daily. Good nutrition leads to better learning, and we are here to serve up tasty and nutritious meals to power learning all year long.

*** With meals being offered at no charge, we are anticipating more students will be dining with us. This may affect the availability of some entrees as we learn and adapt to greater numbers and meeting the demand.

 

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RESOURCES, GRANTS, AND EVENTS

Request A Master Gardener For Your School
The San Diego County Master Gardener Association provides Master Gardeners to help schools set up and maintain gardens. Master Gardeners act as consultants, mentoring parents and teachers who request help with beginning or improving their school gardens. Request a garden consultant here.

 

 

Educational Garden Design Grant – Rolling Dates
The California Native Garden Foundation offers grants for school gardens that feature CA native plants. Types of support include garden design services, in-kind donations of plants and landscape materials, volunteer assistance, and direct financial assistance. Click here to learn more and to apply.

 

 

Solana Center Workshops – Rolling Dates
The Solana Center hosts a variety of workshops and lessons across San Diego County, with topics including composting, raising backyard chickens, green living, and water-wise gardening. Check out their events calendar here.

 

 

Bonnie’s Plants 3rd Grade Cabbage Program – Rolling Dates
Bonnie’s provides free mega-cabbage plants to 3rd-grade teachers across the US who want to participate. Students grow the cabbages and submit pictures and measurements of their harvest to be considered for a $1,000 scholarship. Find out how to participate here.

 

 

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(C) 2023 WaveCrest Cafe / Vista Unified School District
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Esta institución es un proveedor de igualdad de oportunidades.