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ACPS wins federal award for school nutrition program

By James Cullum
Alexandria City Public Schools wins award from U.S> Department of Agriculture, Aug. 2025 (via ACPS/Facebook)

Alexandria City Public Schools has won an award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its federally funded school nutrition program.

ACPS announced today (Friday, Aug. 22) that it received a Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Recognition Award from Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Great news!” ACPS stated on social media. “We’re very proud of our staff who have been working hard to earn this recognition.”

ACPS applied for the award two months ago, according to AFHK. The school system partners with USDA and gets federal funding to support its free-and-reduced-price nutrition programs.

According to ACPS:

The School Nutrition Service team for Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is represented by a staff of over 150 well-trained, dedicated personnel. We provide access to high-quality and nutritionally balanced meals to more than 16,000 students daily across the district. We understand that proper nutrition directly correlates with academic achievement and performance in the classroom.

Our services include Breakfast and Lunch programs at all school locations, and several After School Snack/Dinner programs in select schools. The School Nutrition Services team partners with community-based organizations to address food disparities and supports summer learning initiatives throughout the City of Alexandria.

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The award bodes well for the school system’s nutrition programs. According to Action for Healthy Kids, the benefits of receiving an award include:

  • Complimentary registration and travel stipend to attend an exclusive national Healthy Meals Summit in Las Vegas
  • Recognition on USDA, AFHK and Health Meals Incentives website
  • National and local recognition and media opportunities
  • Opportunity to network with other HMI awardees
  • Awardee toolkit with promotional resources
  • Awardees will also have opportunities to be highlighted and share their best practices through traditional and social media, stakeholder engagement and Healthy Meals Summits

Photo via Facebook

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.