Healthy & Fresh Food Choices for Livingston Parish Students

A WAY TO OFFER SOMETHING NEW
Healthy and fresh food choices, prepared by LPPS ProStart students with ingredients from local farmers, when possible, come together through the M.E.A.L.S. Project. The M.E.A.L.S. food trailer (Meal Education & Awareness for Livingston Students) will expose High School and Junior High students to new foods they would not normally have the opportunity to try, allow them to sample items before they are added to school menus, bring fresh and healthy menu choices from local chefs and farmers, and provide a way for ProStart(R) students to develop menus while showing off their culinary skills in a real-world setting.

BRINGING AN IDEA TO LIFE
A group of business professionals who are part of the Leadership Livingston 2020 class were looking for a project idea and talked to LPPS to see what needs they might have. They had been exploring this as an addition to current meal offerings and, checking out similar programs in other states, but needed help to make it a reality. The group took on the challenge of raising around $16,000 to purchase a custom-made trailer that LPPS will outfit with all the necessary warming and serving equipment. Fundraising is coming to a close, but so far, project sponsors include All Star Automotive, Quality Engineering & Surveying, LLC, Black Label Holdings, Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office, Ochsner Medical Center, Pelican State Credit Union, Neighbors Federal Credit Union, Bank of Zachary, Livingston Parish Assessor's Office, Alack Culinary Supply, Livingston Chamber Foundation, John Dillon, Frogs Wholesale Fuel, Frogs at Magnolia Beach, Christine Patrick, Amanda Seals, Chris Neal, Nicky Gautreau, Lance Landry and Tim McMasters.

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT
Once the trailer is complete, the plan is to also incorporate student art work into the final design. The food trailer will serve 13,000+ students, moving to a different school each week, and will also be featured at local events for additional exposure. It is anticipated that it will be unveiled sometime toward the beginning of the new school year. 

LEADING THE PROJECT
The project group members are John Dillon, All Star Automotive; Nicole Gautreau, Bank of Zachary; Lance Landry, Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office; Tim McMasters, Livingston Parish Assessor's Office; Chris Neal, Pelican State Credit Union; Gary O'Neal, Jr., Quality Engineering & Surveying, LLC; Christine Patrick, Livingston Parish Chamber; and Amanda Seals, Ochsner Medical Center.

M.E.A.L.S. PROJECT PAGE