Nebraska Thursdays

Waynes Cafeteria imagePea StickerNebraska Thursdays supports schools statewide to serve a Nebraska-sourced meal in school cafeterias on the first Thursday of each month. The resources you’ll find here support your Nebraska Thursdays program and your farm to school goals.

Promotional Materials

Communications Kit PDFThis toolkit serves as a guide for communicating to your school, district and community about your Nebraska Thursdays program. Tools include a sample press release, suggested social media posts and graphics, ideas for outreach, and a template for your school newsletters and blogs.

DOWNLOAD THE COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT

Use these promotional materials to spread the word about your Nebraska Thursdays program and engage students, staff, parents and the community.

Coloring Sheet

Introduce Nebraska Thursdays to your elementary students with this fun coloring sheet that highlights carrots and the Nebraska Thursdays logo!

NE Thursdays Poster with unique school plate and menu (11” x 17”)

This Microsoft Word document is a menu that you can edit to reflect what you will serve on Nebraska Thursdays. Add a picture of your Nebraska Thursdays plate, edit the date, add your logo, and have some fun promoting the great meal you are offering!

NE Thursdays Poster, no plate but with unique menu (11” x 17”)

This Microsoft Word document is a menu that you can edit to reflect what you will serve on Nebraska Thursdays. Edit the date, add your logo, and have some fun promoting the great meal you are offering by adding all the local items you are serving on your menu!

NE Thursdays menu (24” x 18” - White)

This large 24” x 18” poster can be printed and laminated for display. Use wet erase markers to highlight your fantastic Nebraska Thursdays menu!

NE Thursdays menu (24” x 18” - Grey)

This large 24” x 18” poster can be printed and laminated for display. Use wet erase markers to highlight your fantastic Nebraska Thursdays menu!

NE Thursdays laminated menu (11” x 17”)

This large 11” x 17” poster can be printed and laminated for display. Use wet erase markers to highlight your fantastic Nebraska Thursdays menu!

Stickers

Highlight your Nebraska Thursdays program with these 2” stickers. These stickers can be printed using Avery 22807 round labels. Print the designs that best fit your program!

Several years ago I would pass a greenhouse farm stand off the highway going to Lexington. It was owned by a family whose children go to our school. One day I talked to the mother about purchasing some of their fresh produce and the rest is history.”  Brenda Buchholz, Overton Public Schools, Food Service Director


“Farm to school is a major initiative and priority for Omaha Public Schools (OPS) Nutrition Services. Providing locally grown foods to students is a wonderful way to highlight Nebraska companies, who they are, where they are located, and the products they specialize in. OPS purchases impact the local economy, and help increase viability for Nebraska producers and food processors. Statewide, farm to school will support small companies impacted by loss of restaurant business due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018-19, OPS spent over $15,000,000 purchasing local products such as raw chicken drums and thighs, cucumbers, potatoes, squash, melons, corn, peppers, broccoli, and milk from Nebraska cows.

When working with local producers, it is important to be flexible regarding distribution methods and the available products, quantity and variety. With 91 serving sites in OPS, the producer may not have the delivery mechanism to go to each of the sites or enough for every school. It is a partnership that must be creatively developed to make it beneficial for everyone.

What is happening in OPS’s schools is tremendous. There are school gardens throughout the district and one school has a hydroponic garden and is raising fresh greens. Another school has installed a hoop house to extend the growing season and has wonderful teaching spaces for the students. The produce has been sold at farmers’ markets, to parents at school meetings, and at the end of the school day when the children go home.” – Tammy Yarmon, Omaha Public Schools, Director of Nutrition Services

#NebThursdays

Nebraska schools serve 232,941 students daily. Nutrition education, agricultural awareness, and local economic benefits make small steps forward a big move for our students and our communities.

Creation of Nebraska Thursdays was made possible by funds from a USDA Farm to School Grant in 2017,  and in partnership with the Center for Rural Affairs.  Additional support for this project comes from the Nebraska Dry Bean CommissionMidwest Dairy, and Nebraska Beef Council.

Updated December 5, 2022 3:29pm