Students in TUSD schools enjoy fresh produce direct from the farm. Local Romaine lettuce is one example of TUSD's farm to school efforts to bring local produce to our students. TUSD Food Services purchases local produce through the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona in partnership with southern Arizona farmers to deliver more local produce to the Tucson community. Food Services has been purchasing 600 lbs of local lettuce per week to distribute weekly to several schools. The delivery schedule rotates so that all schools have the opportunity to include local lettuce on their lunch menu.

The photo at left features Romaine lettuce served at Palo Verde High School. The salads served at lunch were made with local lettuce grown in the center of Tucson by Merchant's Garden (a local greenhouse located at TUSD's former Howenstine High School, off of Tucson Blvd between Broadway and 22nd Street).

Fresh, local produce is one of the most effective ways to deliver nutritious (and delicious) meals to our students. Romaine lettuce is one of the tallest and sturdiest of lettuce varieties. It is high in fiber, potassium, vitamins A, manganese, and folate. It's also high in antioxidants, known to be one of most nutritious of lettuce varieties. We're happy to know that our students can enjoy their salads!

Cafeterias at each of our schools provide hot and nutritious breakfasts and lunches to our students.

Some students enjoy our meals so much that they ask their parents or guardians to request the recipes so that they can serve these meals during vacation and school breaks.

One student writes, "The food is great! They let you have different choices in the cafeteria, but we call it our restaurant."

Students in elementary school can choose between two entrees at lunch. Middle and high school students select from a range of menu stations, including Craves, Stadium, Pizzeria, Go-Cart, and Grill.

Our Fusion and Fusion Jr. menus offer the flavors of the world through healthy and delicious meals.

Whether your child qualifies for free or reduced-price meals or buys meals at the regular reasonable price, your child will enjoy nutritious and tasty meals at school.

We know that children need a healthy breakfast and lunch in order to have energy for learning, and our food services staff takes pride and joy in serving hot meals to your children.

How You Can Help

Tucson Unified has created a Together Every Kid Eats portal where members of the community can donate money to help feed children. These funds are used to provide students with seamless service and a reimbursable meal following USDA guidelines when students' meal accounts are empty. Food Services will work with families to bring the meal accounts to a positive balance without overt identification. For more information, see the Together Every Kid Eats webpage.