Coupeville School District is one of 17 districts or schools in the state chosen to receive grant funding for a pilot program meant to bring plant-based meals to school cafeterias.

The state awarded $150,000 total to all the recipients, to be put toward food supplies, delivery costs, equipment purchases, education and other expenditures to increase access to plant-based school meals.

Coupeville School District received $4,000. Assistant food service director Laura Luginbill said that while she normally seeks out larger grants, she felt Coupeville schools were especially well-suited for this grant because of the work she and food service director Andreas Wurzrainer are already doing with the school farm and the district’s Connected Food program.

“We were well set up to be able to pursue this because we’re a scratch-based kitchen already,” she said.

The grant money went toward plant-based proteins from local farms, such as Rockwell beans from Prairie Bottom Farm. Rockwell beans are a heritage crop on Central Whidbey, making their inclusion in the school menu especially significant, Wurzrainer said.

The district was also able to purchase some small pieces of equipment needed to prepare and serve the plant-based recipes Wurzrainer developed as part of the program.

Wurzrainer and Luginbill have served dal, lentils, falafel and bean soup with food they’ve purchased with this grant.

Through the Connected Food program and the school farm, Wurzrainer and Luginbill have helped kids in the Coupeville School District learn about where food comes from and develop courage around trying new foods.

Luginbill said it’s clear over the course of the school year how students become more willing to try new things as a result of the programming, especially when a meal uses ingredients they helped grow on the school farm.

“It makes a huge difference in kids’ choices,” she said.

The Coupeville school farm produces fresh vegetables and legumes for district students.