In an announcement from the Texas Department of Agriculture, Vidor ISD was named as one of only five districts across the entire state to receive the Pear-fection Award for outstanding achievement in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). During the 2020-21 school year, Vidor Elementary, Oak Forest and Pine Forest schools demonstrated outstanding commitment to building healthy campus environments for students, netting them this award.
The Texas Department of Agriculture introduced the Pear-fection Award as a pilot program this year to encourage the schools participating in the FFVP to meet targets throughout the year and to properly use the funds allocated as they worked to introduce fruits and vegetables to children. Federally assisted nutrition programs not only benefit the children, but the entire community as well, as local agriculture is supported. In addition, students learn how to choose healthy and fresh foods that help families thrive.
The Pear-fection pilot goals included providing 10 unique fruit varieties and 10 unique vegetable varieties to students, with those being served three times per week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. One local grandmother recounts that her grandson said to her, “Guess what I ate today? A plum!” The student had never tasted a plum and was very excited. Not only that, he liked it and asked his parents to purchase plums for the family.
The Pear-fection goals also included serving local produce twice a month. But the new fruits and vegetables were not just placed before children; they came with lessons. At least one nutrition education session per week was required, and Vidor ISD's elementary schools proficiently met that requirement. An additional requirement to meet the FFVP pilot program goals was that 75% of the allocated funds be spent by the end of the program year, and even through a pandemic, the Vidor campuses met that goal, continuing to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to elementary children. Vidor ISD expended 99% of the funds.
According to Director of Child Nutrition Mary Ellen Vivrett, this is Vidor ISD's third year to participate in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which the United States Department of Agriculture has assisted in providing for a number of years. A total of 339 schools across the state of Texas participated in the program in 2020-21, with only 10 of those schools meeting the FFVP Pear-fection Award guidelines. Three of those were the VISD elementary campuses.
Managers at the three locations are Marsha Peden – Vidor Elementary, Jodie Marshall – Oak Forest Elementary, and Terrie Lewis – Pine Forest Elementary.
