Press & Support
See a selection of our latest accolades.
What It Really Takes to Fix School Food
"They [WITS school districts] are doing amazing work against all odds, because something that should be such a priority and so easy, feeding a child, is not prioritized at large."
Grant-Funded Program to Bring Cooking Labs, Fresh Local Foods to Northwest Tennessee Schools
"School lunch menus in Northwest Tennessee will be a bit fresher over the next two years thanks to a local food organization, area farmers, chefs from a New York-based nonprofit and federal grant funding."
MAHA's Hopes for Healthier School Lunches Collide With Trump's Spending Cuts
"'We're managing pennies.' Cafeterias are being pushed to serve healthier meals with less money."
What the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Mean for New York City Agencies
"In New York City, where local Food Standards already exceed federal baselines in several areas, the core question is not whether the Guidelines matter but whether they are at odds with, or simply reinforce, what City agencies are already doing."
RFK Jr.'s New Food Pyramid Heads to School Cafeterias as Advocates Cry for More Funding
"A lot of school districts...they’re still suffering and understaffed...There’s still some supply chain issues that haven’t been worked out. The cost of food is rising. So, it’s kind of one thing after another that schools are having to manage. And while this is ultimately a positive thing, to increase whole foods for students, just dropping it on school districts to do further by themselves without additional funding and additional training is really unfair."
Federal Dietary Guidance Says Eat Less 'Highly Processed' Foods. But What Does that Mean?
"In short, we are asking individuals to eat less of nearly 70% of the food supply without giving them the tools, clarity, or systemic support to do so, and without confronting the economic and marketing forces that keep ultra-processed foods at the center of the American diet."
Op-Ed: SNAP Is a Lifeline.
I Know Firsthand."Those early [childhood] experiences shaped my understanding of hunger and food insecurity: not as abstract social problems, but as daily calculations of trade-offs and attempts to maintain some dignity, choosing between food and electricity, pride and need, nourishment and belonging. No child in the richest nation on earth should have to do that math."
"In North Little Rock, we are intentional in making sure the whole child is taken care of, and that includes food. They are learning, tasting, cooking and making healthy habits that will last them for life. They also take that home to their parents. We can make lifestyle changes for whole families if we start here in pre-K through 12."
Mamdani's Plan for Government-Run Grocery Stores: Will It Help?
"The government already has a lot of control over the food system right now. Whether your children go to public school, whether you're on SNAP benefits, whether you shop at a military commissary exchange program, the government is already involved in the food system. "
Chefs in the Schools: Equitable Meals Across New York City
"Our findings make clear that transforming school food requires more than swapping ingredients. It requires investing in people, training, and systems. Through Chefs in the Schools, we’ve demonstrated that when schools are supported with culinary expertise and professional development, scratch cooking becomes scalable and sustainable."
Wellness in the Schools Marks 20 Years of Impact with 20 for 20 Campaign
"Our mission is to ensure every child, regardless of zip code, has access to nutritious food, opportunities for physical activity, and a solid foundation for a healthy future. Now more than ever, it's crucial that we prioritize the well-being of our children — the time to act is now."
WITS, Exos, and NYC Public Schools Launch First-Ever Coach Council & Summit
"Coach for Good, an initiative between Wellness in the Schools and Exos, is partnering with the NYC DOE's Office of School Wellness Programs to launch a first-of-its-kind Coach Council, providing professional learning and leadership education to teachers. This pairs with leading daily fitness breaks for students in the classroom. "
Mayor Adams & Chancellor Banks Announce Launch Of Inaugural Chef Council
"Chefs in the Schools is a partnership between Wellness in the Schools and the Mayor's Office, Mayor's Office of Food Policy, and NYC DOE Office of Food and Nutrition. WITS is leading NYC's first-ever Chef Council, putting on the menu scratched-cooked, plant-based, and culturally relevant food for New York City's 1 million school children."
A Lunch Intervention Increases Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
"A study on WITS schools in the NYC public school system found that students ate more fruits and vegetables; WITS schools also served less processed food than control groups."
Additional Press
- ABC 7 NY: Celebrity Chefs Are Making NYC School Lunch
- AMNY: A Recipe for Change: NYC's Journey to Healthy, Delicious School Meals
- Baldor Specialty Foods: Bringing Food Education to NYC Students
- CBS News: Give a Kid a Knife and He May Eat More Carrots
- Civil Eats: Can Teaching Kids to Cook Make Them Healthier Later in Life?
- Good Day NY: Revolutionizing School Meals
- Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center: 2025 Changemaker Award
- My Food Job Rocks: A Non-Profit That Inspires One Million Students
- SI Live: Chefs in the Schools Menu Overhaul in NYC
- TAPinto Newark: Launch of Coalition for Healthy Food in Newark Schools
- TEDx: Dive In For Change - Nancy Easton
- The Atlantic: How to Cook a Real Chicken Nugget (And Why)
- The New York Times: Reading, Math and Sushi: Cooking as a Health Lesson
- The Today Show: WITS With Chef Jose Andres
- Total Food Service: Excitement about the NYC Lunch Menu
Support for Our Work
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With varied programming that provides nutritional education to NYC's students, WITS brings important resources where they are needed most.
Kirsten Gillibrand, US Senate, New York -
The way we eat in this country has to change for everyone. For that to happen, it has to start at a young age. Wellness in the Schools is pioneering that change.
Nick Marsh, CEO, Chop't Creative Salad Company and WITS Chef Partner -
My daughter was lucky enough to make curried cauliflower soup with her class through WITS last week and loved it! She had seconds and was so excited to bring me the recipe. What an amazing gift you have given our schools. Thank you!
Gail Simmons, WITS Parent, food writer, and judge on Top Chef -
WITS has been a key part in the turnaround of the school – they give kids a more well-rounded awareness of what life is about. It’s not just about reading and writing, but about all these other aspects of life; we have to take care of ourselves mentally, physically, and emotionally, and a lot of that stems from nutrition. And WITS really helps make school what it is meant to be – a fun learning environment.
Principal Natalia Russo, PS 145 Manhattan -
You have introduced our students to food that they would not have had the opportunity to eat and enjoy. You are changing lives; one at a time, day by day.
Principal Cecilia Kaplinsky, PS 216 Brooklyn -
Wellness in the Schools is a steadfast and deeply valued ally to the Camden City School District. They have become part of our community with their unwavering commitment to our students, staff, and families, enriching our kitchens with culinary training and bringing the joy of well-being to all.
Arlethia Brown, Senior Director of School Nutrition, Camden City School District