Congratulations to the Vermillion School District Summer Food Service Program on earning the gold Turnip the Beet Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture! The Vermillion School District is one of only 14 sponsors across the nation to qualify for a gold award. In all, 84 summer meal sponsors were awarded, with 54 silver awards and 16 bronze awards. This is the Vermillion School District’s second Turnip the Beet Award. In 2018, they earned bronze.

The Turnip the Beet Award recognizes outstanding summer meal program sponsors nationwide who work hard to offer high quality meals to children that are appetizing, appealing, and nutritious during the summer months.

2021 Turnip the Beet Award winners

Summer meals are critical in the lives of millions of our nation’s youth, whose risk for food insecurity increases during the summer months when they no longer have access to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program. Summer meal programs, including the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) within the NSLP, present the opportunity to help alleviate summertime food insecurity and positively impact children’s growth and development by offering nutritious meals and encouraging children to develop healthy habits at a young age. High quality summer meals provide daily energy and help make sure children are healthy and ready to learn when they return to school in the fall.

The Turnip the Beet Award was created to showcase sponsors who go above and beyond to ensure that children in their care receive high-quality meals that are both nutritious and appetizing.