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Write a Letter to Change Your School's Dining Services
Are you sick of those greasy fries and half-cooked cheeseburgers served during lunch time at your school? Sure, they might taste good, but they are really bad for your health (especially if you and your friends are eating them every day). Tell someone in charge of your school's dining services to make a change before your health suffers.
The Decision Maker
First, you'll need to do some research to find out who makes the decision about which dining service gets a contract with your school. You could go to your principal or ask a teacher. You could also locate the names of some members of the Board of Education on a school newsletter.
Support
It’s important to make sure you have people who support your argument before you write your letter. It would be really helpful if you conducted a poll at lunch time. Pass out score sheets and have classmates score the cafeteria food they are eating. You can do this for a couple days or a week, whatever works.
sample survey
Please rate the cafeteria food you are eating now using the scale below. Rate the food based on taste, nutritional value and freshness. Score each food item from 1 (worst) to 5 (best).
| Today's lunch items | Taste | Nutrition | Freshness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tater tots |
1 2 3 4 5
|
1 2 3 4 5
|
1 2 3 4 5
|
| Cheeseburger |
1 2 3 4 5
|
1 2 3 4 5
|
1 2 3 4 5
|
| Cherry pie |
1 2 3 4 5
|
1 2 3 4 5
|
1 2 3 4 5
|
| Comments
|
|||
The results from this survey will help you figure out what your friends and classmates think about cafeteria lunch food. Most likely, they have complaints too.
Rough Draft
I know, I know, you’ve heard this phrase a billion times. What’s the point? It actually really helps to organize your thoughts in outline form, and then write a first draft before you move onto your final letter. Ask a friend or someone from your school paper to proofread your letter and give you feedback.
Finally
Time to write the final version of your letter. Remember to include the results from your survey. It might help to create a graph of ratings that clearly displays everyone’s dissatisfaction with the lunch menu.
Tips to remember while writing your letter:
- Get to the point—state your case in the first paragraph.
- Be pleasant—no one wants to respond to a completely negative letter.
- Keep it natural—take on a conversational tone and make sure sentences aren’t too long.
- End with action—suggest the reader’s next step or yours.
- Presentation is key—make sure there are no spelling mistakes or weird formatting issues.
Time on your hands
Everyone is busy. Don’t worry if you don’t get a response right away. If you haven’t heard back in about two weeks, go ahead and call the office to see if your letter was received.
Keep in mind that your school might have to finish out the current contract with the dining service. This means that you might have to wait a while to see a change. Keep in contact with the decision maker and the Board of Education during this time. Persistence will help a lot.
Want to make your community healthier and more fit? Apply for a Del Monte Do Something Good For You! Grant