Anita Garrett, a Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) grandmother, started attending school board meetings in 2022 because she was deeply concerned about the food being served to her grandchildren. Seeing that the meals didn’t match what the district’s wellness policy promised—healthy, appealing food that children actually wanted to eat—she engaged other parents and created a movement to change the system.
Anita remembered her own childhood memories of school meals being joyful, flavorful, and full of great smells that filled the cafeteria. But her grandchildren’s stories were different; food was often unappealing and left uneaten.
Her personal experiences with food insecurity and her grandchildren’s struggles pushed her to act. In 2022, Anita joined and graduated from the Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin Food Leaders Lab and started her journey as a Parent Ambassador. She began surveying parents in the community, gathering hundreds of responses. Parents expressed appreciation for being heard and emphasized the importance of staying involved in school meal decisions, highlighting a strong desire for more menu variety and options for students.
Anita believed that real change required parents and caregivers coming together as a community. She became a vocal advocate for school meals, and FoodRight took notice, opening the door for a meaningful partnership. With plans to apply for the 2024 Innovation Collaborative Awards from the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub, FoodRight reached out to Anita to ensure that parent advocacy and grassroots leadership were represented on the team. Anita became the Good School Food Community Liaison and Lead Advocate for the Good School Food Project.
Leslie Krueger, Health Equity Program Director at FoodRight, worked alongside Anita to turn a grassroots movement into a structured program. Leslie developed a curriculum to help students and parents better understand U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) meal standards and the district’s wellness policy, as well as how to effectively advocate for nutritious school food that students know and love. She describes working with Anita as “one of the greatest opportunities of my career,” noting how Anita continually brings the work back to the heart of the community.
Together, Leslie and Anita created a parent ambassador program, now called the Good School Food Advocates, to educate and empower parents. It is designed to provide program graduates with the knowledge, confidence, and tools to advocate for better school meals. Graduates have attended community events, shared resources with others, and even joined new food advisory committees at MPS to ensure their voices are heard.
Antoinette O’Bee, a parent who graduated from the first year’s pilot program, calls the program “incredible.” It has helped her understand the complexities of school food, but also has given her the confidence to speak up. For her, the program was transformative – “I feel more comfortable and empowered knowing my voice matters, and that I can be part of creating change in my child’s school,” says O’Bee.
Good School Food Advocates has made an impactful change within the community. The 10 parents who participated in the first cohort are more engaged in decision-making, MPS students are gaining hands-on cooking skills in classrooms, and communities are building stronger connections around food.
More than 700 people have subscribed to receive the Good School Food Newsletter, 340 of whom have signed up since the first pilot cohort was completed. The program itself is growing: 60 parents applied for the upcoming fall 2025 cohort and 20 have been accepted.
Most importantly, the program has restored the idea that change is possible. “We’re keeping hope alive,” says Anita, who now serves as a graduate of both the Food Leaders Lab and Parent Ambassador programs. “Parents are learning, kids are learning, and together we’re making sure no child goes hungry or feels unseen.”