Nebraska Thursdays
Nebraska Thursdays is a program supported by the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) and the Center for Rural Affairs, and in collaboration with schools statewide, to serve a Nebraska-sourced meal in school cafeterias on the first Thursday of each month. Sourcing Nebraska products encourages fresh, local and healthy meals in the school cafeteria, educates students about Nebraska agriculture, and boosts our local economy.
Funded by an USDA Farm to School grant, five pilot schools participated in Nebraska Thursdays during the 2017-2018 School Year:
- Litchfield Public Schools
- Omaha Public Schools
- Overton Public Schools
- Thayer Central Community Schools
- Wayne Community Schools.
Read the farm to school stories highlighting the unique profile of each pilot school program and their farm to school goals. The efforts of these five pilot schools has impacted almost 42,000 students and resulted in thousands of food dollars staying in the Nebraska economy.
REGISTRATION
Registration for Nebraska Thursdays is open for all Nebraska schools participating in the National School Lunch Program. Once registered, your district will have access to Nebraska Thursdays resources, promotional items and an interactive recipe portal.
To register for Nebraska Thursdays, you must be the school Food Service Director/Manager listed on the school meal application in the CNP system or person responsible for the operation of the school food service program.
If you are not the District Food Service Director/Manager:
- Contact the Food Service Director/Manager to confirm your district’s registration for Nebraska Thursdays.
- Once registered, the Food Service Director/Manager is provided a link that can be used by other staff members to access the Nebraska Thursdays portal.
- Explore additional resources on the Farm to School Resources page
Additional support for this project comes from the Nebraska Dry Bean Commission, Midwest Dairy Council, and Nebraska Beef Council.