Rio’s Child Nutrition Department mission is to prepare Rio students for learning, by providing nutritious and delicious meals every day. Rio’s goal is to encourage students to develop, learn, and establish life-long habits for making healthy food choices. Rio School District puts special emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables given its proximity to the wonderful abundance of locally grown produce of Ventura County. Each school features Harvest of the Month and offers students a fresh salad bar highlighting a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Although Rio is a district that understands the importance of giving kids healthy scratch cooked meals everyday, Rio’s partnership with FoodCorps provides the missing connection to the education that connects kids to healthy food in school. At Rio School District, some corps members are placed at one or two elementary schools to lead hands-on nutrition and garden education, support taste tests and Harvest of the Month programming, and other corps members work at the district level to support larger-scale community outreach initiatives and local procurement efforts.

Becoming a corps member in California connects you to a legacy and future of innovative farm to school programming, vibrant school communities, and equitable access to nourishing school meals. FoodCorps California members are part of a large cohort partnering in communities across the state. California corps members are important members of the school and district community, lead nutrition and garden lessons, promote social and emotional wellness, and support initiatives such as School Meals For All, California Thursdays/California Food for California Kids, and Harvest of the Month programs by running taste tests, supporting meal programs, and making mealtime an educational and socially fulfilling time.