Teaching Healthy Eating Habits
Other activists are working to get meatless meals and
other healthy vegan options served in schools. When Jackie Domac, a former
teacher and health department chairwomen at Venice High School in
California, informed a school administrator that a few of her students had
requested juice in addition to soda in the school vending machines, she was
told that selling juice would conflict with the school's soda contract.
Outraged that money from Coca-Cola sales was more important than giving
students healthy beverage choices, Jackie, a vegan for nearly 20 years, and
her students circulated petitions, met with parents, attended school board
meetings, and more, in an effort to get healthier food and beverages in the
school.
Not only did they convince school officials to replace
the sodas in the school vending machine with bottled water, sports drinks,
and juices, they also succeeded in getting the school to add a fruit and
vegetable bar to the school cafeteria and serve vegetarian-chili potato
boats twice a week�a vegan option that meets the National School Lunch
Program's requirements. According to Jackie, Venice High School was also the
first high school in the nation to get an organic soy milk vending machine.
But that wasn't enough for Jackie. She wanted all
students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)�the second
largest school district in the nation with 1,030 schools�to have access to
healthy vegan food. Jackie rallied students, parents, teachers, and school
board members to support the LAUSD Obesity Prevention Resolution, which
encourages schools to provide kids with healthy snacks instead of candy
bars, eliminate contracts with fast-food companies, offer students at least
one vegetarian option at lunchtime, and pilot soy milk in five area schools.
Thanks to Jackie's hard work, the resolution will take effect in July 2004.
PETA was so impressed with Jackie's efforts that they
hired her as their new education manager. Part of her job duties will be to
convince other schools around the nation to offer healthy, humane vegetarian
options.
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Saving Their "Bacon"
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