LOWER LAKE, Calif. – In an effort to offer students healthier meal options, the Konocti Unified School District has pursued and received a partial grant to install salad bars at several of its schools.

The Chef Ann Foundation, founded in 2009 by Chef Ann Cooper, is helping the district with its goal to install salad bars at six schools – Burns Valley Elementary, East Lake School, Konocti Health Magnet School,  Lower Lake Elementary, Lower Lake High School and Pomo School.

However, the effort requires a public fundraising component.

Approximately $17,000 is needed to fund the salad bars, and community members are asked to consider making tax-deductible donations at http://www.saladbars2schools.org/grant/konocti-unified-school-district/ .

Theresa Copas, secretary for Lower Lake High and Konocti Health Magnet High School Principal Jeff Dixon, said originally Dixon planned to pursue the grant just for the new magnet school.

However, district Food Service Director Sandy Lopez suggested the salad bars would work for the other schools, too. Copas said Lopez pulled all of the information together and Dixon wrapped the entire district into one grant application.

They submitted the grant application on Nov. 19, two days before the deadline, and within a week heard that the district had been selected, according to Copas.

“We will be funded. We will receive these,” she said.

The Chef Ann Foundation's “Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools” initiative – the goal of which is to have a salad bar in every school across the United States – has raised $8.9 million to supply more than 3,600 salad bars to schools.

Copas estimated Konocti Unified's schools will be waiting a minimum of a year before receiving the salad bars, as the foundation's waiting list has 555 schools on it.

The foundation provides money out of its general fund based on the date of application. What can speed the process up considerably, said Copas, is if the community can help through donations.

Copas said the foundation handles all of the money; she emphasized that the district is not involved directly in the fundraising.

While the district began looking at adding salad bars a few years ago, “None of the schools in the district have salad bars yet,” said Copas.

That's due to the fact that the equipment is expensive, requires extra upkeep and additional staff time, she explained.

“We weren't ready,” she said.

Now, however, “It's a great time to be starting,” Copas added.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.