Grab-and-Go in the news

Congratulation to our own Dana Waldow for her prominent mention in today's Chron article:
Obesity war's latest battlefront: the school cafeteria
School nutrition is activists' passion
How 4 dedicated people work to help Bay Area students eat right

Dana Woldow, a 54-year-old mother of three, knows the importance of a nutritious breakfast and also knows that many kids in the San Francisco Unified School District aren't getting one.

Two years ago, she proposed that Balboa High School start a Grab-and-Go breakfast program, which allows students to eat their morning meal during their first-period class. The breakfast would also be available to students receiving free or reduced-price lunches, which Woldow said is 61 percent of the student body at Balboa.

"I had read about Grab-and-Go and its success in other districts," she said. "I knew that it would be appropriate for our schools."

The staff at Balboa welcomed the idea, and by last school year, a pilot program was started.

"It turned out so well that we have received grants for more," said Woldow, co-chair of the district's Student Nutrition and Physical Activity Council. She said that in addition to Balboa, three other schools will get breakfast programs.

I have to wonder why the article skipped over Dana's work on the healthy food initiative, but I guess there were only so many column-inches available. May as well focus on what's new—and the expansion of Balboa's Grab-and-Go pilot program to three new schools this year is news.