The School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) has named Casey Partain, Child Nutrition Program Director for Marshall County School District in AL, the recipient of the AmTab K-12 Social Media Marketing Grant worth up to $83,000. The grant is among 2026 SNF Equipment Grants available to help school meal programs overcome staffing, budget or operational challenges. The additional funding supports programs working to expand fresh and scratch-made menu options, increase efficiencies and enhance the cafeteria experience to nourish students’ school days.
While all students in the district are eligible to receive school breakfast and lunch at no charge through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), Partain feels negative perceptions about the quality of free meals prevents all students from participating. With enhanced social media marketing efforts provided through the grant, she’s hopeful to increase awareness among students, parents and staff of the nutritious and delicious meal options offered.
Approximately 69% of students participate in school breakfast and about 82% of students eat school lunch in Marshall County. Partain utilizes Facebook to promote the meal program but does not have the time or resources needed to post frequently or the professional graphic design support to make social posts more impactful. Services provided by the grant will enable Partain to create an engagement strategy and social media schedule to better promote Alabama grown produce on menus and the variety of options offered at breakfast and lunch.
“I’m hopeful that seeing the smiling faces and great customer service of our staff, coupled with more photos of our healthy menu options, will change the perception of school meals. We want parents encouraging their students to eat with us each day,” said Casey Partain, Child Nutrition Program Director.
“Enhancing social media marketing through grant services will help Partain better promote the great work her team is doing, from local sourced foods and scratch-made meals to the variety of healthy options available each day,” said SNF Chair, Gay Anderson, SNS.
As the recipient of the AmTab Grant, Marshall County School District will be awarded up to $83,000 worth of AmTab social media marketing services. They will work with AmTab representatives to determine what best suits their school district’s specific needs.
To view the grant winner’s video submission, visit: https://vimeo.com/1203602661
About School Nutrition Foundation:
The School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) is the charitable arm of the School Nutrition Association (SNA). SNF supports school nutrition professionals by offering grants and scholarships, providing free training opportunities and identifying research, trends and innovations. The 2026 SNF Equipment Grants are made possible by the generous contributions of Alto-Shaam, AmTab, Cambro Manufacturing, Food Warming Equipment Company (FWE), Fork Farms, Hobart (ITW Food Equipment Group LLC Brand), Innoseal, LTI, Inc., Vulcan (ITW Food Equipment Group LLC brand), and Winston Foodservice.
About School Nutrition Association:
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing 50,000 school nutrition professionals across the country. Founded in 1946, SNA and its members are dedicated to making healthy school meals and nutrition education available to all students. For more information on school meals, visit www.SchoolNutrition.org/SchoolMeals.
Related Articles
