#7 School breakfast program in the US - Food Research & Action Center

#2 Large school food program in Texas - Children at Risk

Excellence in Summer Meals Gold Sponsor - Texas Hunger Initiative

Best of the Bunch local produce award - Texas Department of Agriculture

Founding member of the Urban School Food Alliance

Mission Statement

Our goal is to provide nutrition to students that fuels successful learning. 

Each year the Food and Child Nutrition Services department serves roughly 40 million meals to students across Dallas ISD. We support the district in helping students prepare for the daily rigor of learning. FCNS focuses its efforts in providing nourishing meals, nutrition education, and activities that support a healthy lifestyle to improve a student's opportunity for a more productive and happy life.

The meals and services of FCNS are an important part in Dallas ISD's Coordinated School Health program and we collaborate with both district and community partners to promote overall wellness in and out of school. We also work closely with community organizations that focus on hunger, food access, and promoting a healthy school environment for all. Our break meals program is a huge initiative designed to address the issue of hunger in Dallas. During the summer, Thanksgiving, winter, and spring breaks, kitchens across Dallas ISD remain open to feed anyone under the age of 18, regardless of where they live or are enrolled. This year FCNS recieved the Dallas Summer Supper Council's Excellence in Summer Meals award, presented by United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the Texas Hunger Initiative, for displaying best practices as we continue to grow our break meals program and better serve the community.

 Another focus of FCNS is supporting local agriculture. We aim to procure the freshest produce from Texas farms, and to educate students on the nutrition and science of fresh fruits and vegetables. FCNS was recently recognized by the Texas Department of Agriculture for continued dedication to supporting Texas farms with the Best of the Bunch award. Programs such as Harvest of the Month continually introduce the students of Dallas ISD to foods and information they might not be exposed to otherwise, and instill a love of delicious, healthy foods and learning at an early age.

MEMORANDUM REGARDING COMPOSTABLE PLATES:

Dallas ISD is a school food service industry leader in implementing and using environmentally friendly plates.  In partnership with the large urban school district members of the Urban School Food Alliance (USFA), DISD has jointly purchased recyclable plates through the USFA, providing significant cost savings while preventing millions of Styrofoam trays from being used and thereafter dumped into landfills. 

Recently, however, DISD’s participation in the USFA to procure these plates, and specifically the legal document allowing DISD to purchase off the New York City schools bid,  has experienced a temporary stoppage.  This is due to the need to update some verbiage in the previously mentioned document.  Due to this slight delay, FCNS has regrettably had to temporarily turn to a substitute paper plate, as well as Styrofoam trays, for daily use.

FCNS will immediately resume the purchase of the compostable plates as soon as possible. We will also soon be able to purchase compostable cutlery – forks, and spoons – which will increase the number of compostable items we use and will continue to decrease the amount of plastic and Styrofoam used in the school meal programs.

We appreciate your understanding.  FCNS pledges to continue to operate in an increasingly environmentally sustainable and friendly manner