The School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) has named Krista Byler, Food Service Director for Union City Area School District in Pennsylvania, the recipient of the Alto-Shaam Equipment Grant to obtain a new holding cabinet valued at $9,000. 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While the Union City Elementary building has been undergoing phased renovations, upgrades to the outdated kitchen have been tabled due to budget constraints. The grant will enable replacement of a decades-old hot holding cabinet with a reliable, more space efficient solution so staff can safely hold the growing number of scratch prepared breakfast and lunch options they serve. The need has increased as kitchen staff spent two years intensely training to transition to more scratch options to provide students with appealing and nutritionally sound meals.
Within a rural, economically disadvantaged community, all students of the school receive meals for free through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The grant provides meaningful support to the kitchen staff in their efforts to serve students. Additionally, the new equipment relieves burdens for the maintenance team, which has had to spend significant time replacing parts and getting the unit running after any power disruption.
“Our kitchen staff have risen to the occasion and done a terrific job of preparing more scratch-made recipes to sample with students and add to the menu cycle,” said Krista Byler. “The new holding cabinet will free up valuable prep space in the kitchen and directly support our efforts to add more scratch options for students.”
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.
“It’s inspiring to see a kitchen staff whole-heartedly embrace the goal of increasing scratch meals. We’re honored that this grant can help Byler and her team in those efforts,” said SNF Chair, Gay Anderson, SNS.
As the recipient of the Alto-Shaam Equipment Grant, Union City Area School District will receive delivery of the new holding cabinet to benefit program operations in the upcoming school year.
To view the grant winner’s video submission, visit: https://vimeo.com/1203601235
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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