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A Bozeman woman who works for the national Farm to School program says the new USDA public school lunch guidelines are extremely positive.

Mary Stein says the efforts to offer more fruits and vegetables, reduce sodium and provide kids with whole grains in schools are the first real significant changes that have taken place in public school nutrition guidelines in more than 20 years.

Stein says supporting kid's nutritional wellbeing is not just the school's responsibility; it is the responsibility of everyone in the community.

"You can teach kids until the cows come home about the theories of healthy eating, but if you don't send them out into the environment where they actually get to practice those behaviors then our successes are going to be limited," said Stein, the Associate Director for National Farm to School.

Stein says within the next year, a national competitive grant program for public schools will be introduced through farm to school. The program will allow children to grow gardens at school and have farm-based education.

Gallatin Valley Farm to School is always looking for volunteers for their summer food program. If you are interested in volunteering, you can do so by email at lunchbox@gvfarmtoschool.org. You can find more information about the local Farm to School program on their web site.