Dairy Farmers and Schools – What’s the Connection?

What do dairy farmers and teachers have in common?  Plenty, if you’re talking about students’ health and wellness!  Dairy farmers across the country support the #1 in school health and wellness program in the country – Fuel Up to Play 60!  And you could say they put their money where their mouth is.

In January, thirty-two Indiana schools were awarded more than $60,000 from Fuel Up to Play 60 grants funded by our Indiana dairy farmers.  Students from kindergarten to high school seniors will benefit from these awards by having more attention brought to the importance of healthy eating and being physically active.   So what does that actually mean?

When a school applies for a Fuel Up to Play 60 grant, they must select a Healthy Eating “play” and a Physical Activity “play”.  The most popular Healthy Eating play chosen by our grant winners was “Snack Smarter in School”; the “100 Mile Club” was the Physical Activity play selected by these schools.  Plays are implemented in a variety of ways depending on the school and their particular needs.  It could mean buying equipment for food prep or storage or foods to sample for Healthy Eating.  Playground or gym equipment is often how funds for the Physical Activity plays are used.

Check out the Fuel Up to Play 60 Success Stories to see just how creative schools can be!

Here are Indiana’s most recent Fuel Up to Play 60 Grant Winning Schools:

DISTRICT                                                         SCHOOL

From Corydon to Ligonier, South Bend to Hymera, you can bet great things are happening to make our students healthy. And as we’re learning, healthy students are better students!