Foodtank – Wellness in the Schools (WITS), a national non-profit, works to ensure access to nourishing food and active play in public schools. As part of their Chefs in Schools initiative, WITS is partnering with the New York City’s Mayor’s Office and the Department of Education’s Office of Food and Nutrition Services (OFNS). The program assigns chefs to train school cafeteria workers in cooking wholesome school lunches and teaching aligned nutrition education classes to select schools, supporting meal participation.

The 72 chefs who work for Wellness in the Schools teach cafeteria workers culinary skills and children the importance of eating nutritiously. The WITS chefs also train OFNS chefs on how to execute newly developed recipes by New York City’s Inaugural Chef Council. Tasked with developing menu items for NYC schools, the Council includes prominent chefs from around the City.

According to Advocates for Children in New York, one in nine NYC students is experiencing homelessness. WITS is working to ensure that the free universal school meals every public school child in New York City has access to are nutritious.