By emphasizing partnerships with community nonprofits and businesses, taking advantage of statewide grants and making good nutrition a financial priority, rural Fort Bragg Unified has continued to provide healthy food and nutrition education to its primarily low-income students, despite budget cuts.
A favorite meal at Fort Bragg Unified: Whole grain spaghetti with sauce loaded with local vegetables, fresh salad with house-made yogurt-based dressing, fruit and local milk.
The state Department of Education has recognized Fort Bragg as a model for Northern California under its Stepping Up to the Challenge, Creating A Healthy School Environment program. Pilar Gray, the district’s nutritional services director, does trainings for other small districts that are interested in improving their school meals.
“A lot of what we do is what happens when communities pull together,” she said. “Could this be done in large districts? Probably.”
Fort Bragg Unified is located in a small town of the same name along Highway 1 on the rugged coast of Mendocino County in Northern California. About two-thirds of the district’s 1,900