A new vending machine at Weston High School is providing food security for students who may arrive late and miss breakfast at the school. On any given day, 15 to 20 percent of Weston students arrive at school after breakfast has been served. The vending machine is stocked with breakfast and lunch items for students to serve themselves if they missed the meal.
“The vending machine does not take money and is linked with our Skyward database so a student just needs to enter their student identification number and they’re issued a meal if they haven’t already been served one,” said Weston High School Principal Andrea Dixon-Hundredmark. “We see this vending machine as equity in action. We’re trying to meet the kids where they are using non-traditional methods.”
Weston qualifies for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision which allows all Weston students to eat meals for free. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Breakfast after the Bell program offers additional opportunities for access to meals that might not otherwise be available to students that come to school after breakfast is served. Weston was able to pay for the vending machine using Office of System and School Improvement (OSSI) Continuous School Improvement Grant funding.
Weston 10th grader Ashton Thorn thinks the vending machine is a really good idea.
“One day I missed the bus and came in late to school and breakfast was already finished so I didn’t get breakfast that day,” said Thorn. “With the new vending machine, students are now able to get a breakfast or lunch whenever they need it.”