Greenville County School District receives $200,000 for nutrition program

GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. – Last week, the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation presented a $200,000 check to Greenville County Schools Food and Nutrition Services to help continue the District's efforts to offer nutritious meals for students.

"With a recent study indicating that more than 41 percent of Greenville County children are overweight or obese, the school district has been addressing the nutrition of its students through the Culinary Creations program," said Harvey Galloway, executive director of the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation. "We’re pleased to provide this grant so the district can continue training its staff in preparing healthy, nutritious foods for students."

Galloway said the district plans to implement the program at all of its schools by 2015.

"We would like to thank the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation for its generous gift," said Eileen Staples, director of Food and Nutrition Services for Greenville County Schools. "The Culinary Creations program has been a huge success, not only with our students, but also with our principals, teachers and parents."

According to Staples, the grant funds will assist the district in promoting the importance of nutritious foods.

The check presentation event was part of a series the foundation is hosting around the state to distribute grants and honor the recipients in front of community and business leaders. Since the foundation was established in 2003, it has allocated more than $40.4 million in South Carolina to address issues such as childhood health, community health, mental health, obesity, diabetes, nursing and health research, and the increasing need for free medical clinics.