The School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) has named Susan Cavazos, Food Service Director for Prairie Central CUSD #8 in IL, the recipient of the Food Warming Equipment (FWE) Grant, worth up to $25,000 in specialty school foodservice equipment. 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.
The district’s efforts to move toward more scratch cooking are hampered by old equipment in frequent need of repair. The FWE grant will enable Cavazos and her team to replace warming cabinets and better serve the 900 students who regularly eat school meals across their six sites. Costs of constant small repairs to replace switches, rebuild motors or rewire have been adding up. New, more efficient warmers will alleviate those expenses and save the district on energy costs.
Staff will be relieved of operational burdens of malfunctioning equipment, which often unexpectedly force them to find alternative methods for meal preparation. Improved kitchen safety and a more comfortable working environment are additional benefits of new warmers, slated to be installed in kitchens at Prairie Central Upper Elementary and Prairie Central High School. Functionally, the ability to better regulate the heat and moisture will also improve food quality for students and prevent foods from overcooking or losing nutritional value.
“Presenting fresher looking foods and increasing our scratch cooking efforts will help drive more student interest in eating school breakfast and lunch. The new warmers will also provide a welcome relief of stress on our staff from having to manage constant repairs,” said Susan Cavazos, Food Service Director.
In a recent School Nutrition Association survey of school meal program directors, 94% of respondents reported a need for more equipment and infrastructure to expand scratch preparation and reduce reliance on ultra-processed foods.
“This grant will make a positive impact on everyday operations, relieving the need for repairs and increasing the safety and comfort of the work environment,” said SNF Chair, Gay Anderson, SNS.
As the recipient of the Food Warming Equipment Grant, Prairie Central CUSD #8 will receive up to $25,000 worth of FWE equipment. They will work with a representative from the company to determine the delivery and installation of the new equipment.
To view the grant winner’s video submission, visit: https://vimeo.com/1203604282
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.
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