School Lunch Challenge

Clarke County student judges determine the School Lunch Challenge champion.

Building on the increased public interest in the National School Lunch Program and capitalizing on the wealth of school lunch materials in its holdings, the Russell Library created an exhibit in 2015 entitled Food, Power, Politics: The Story of School Lunch. Senator Richard B. Russell, Jr. co-sponsored the original legislation creating the NSLP in 1946. The exhibit, with a rich array of historical records, showcased the Library’s holdings and increased visitors’ interest in the topic. The exhibit, now available online via the New Georgia Encyclopedia, extends the reach of Russell Library’s extensive holdings in political culture and public policy development centered in Georgia to K-12, university, and general public audiences.

Hugh Acheson, chef and restaurant owner, participating in the School Lunch Challenge — Athens celebrity chef and restauranteur Hugh Acheson conducting a cooking demonstration at the 2016 School Lunch Challenge.

While the exhibit was on display, the Russell Library Access and Outreach unit developed companion programming to attract an even broader audience and encourage those in the Athens area to learn more about the history of school lunch and how the program had evolved over the years. The Russell team decided to capitalize on local strengths and use food as a pathway to education about history, politics, nutrition, and community. This idea grew into The School Lunch Challenge, a cooking competition showcasing teams drawn from local restaurants, schools, and non-profit organizations.

With guidance from the Clarke County School District (CCSD) nutrition program, teams craft unique dishes in accordance with USDA school lunch guidelines that will appeal to a K-12 audience. A jury of Clarke County students judge the winner, and the winning dish is incorporated into the Clarke County school lunch menu.

Major event sponsors include the Russell Library, Clarke County School District, UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences, the Athens Land Trust, Athens Farm to School, UGA Cooperative Extension’s Grow It Know It Program, and the Fresh Market.

The Russell Library Access and Outreach unit received the 2016 Award for Excellence in Educational Use of Historical Records from the Archives Awards Program of the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council (GHRAC).

For questions about the School Lunch Challenge, contact Dr. Kaylynn Washnock Stooksbury at washnock@uga.edu or 706-542-5788.