Milk vending machine offers healthful choices

The milk machine replaced a soda machine .
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
LIBERTY -- Students foraging for a snack between lunch and dinner at Liberty High School will not find any carbonated soft drinks, but will find all the dairy they desire.
The high school has received a 1,000 grant from the American Dairy Association for the purchase of a milk vending machine. The grant was awarded by the American Dairy Association & amp; Dairy Council Mid East.
The machine, covered in familiar cow spots representing the dairy industry, now sits in the main hallway of the school building a short distance from the cafeteria. It occupies the same spot where a Coca-Cola machine once sat.
Barb Dorbish, school food service director, said the machine is stocked with a variety of dairy items such as yogurt, pudding, cheeses and some cereals to accompany the milk.
"We tried to focus on the dairy items that make good healthy snacks," Dorbish said. "We chose things that kids might like as a snack between lunch and when they get home for dinner."
Other offerings
There are no longer any vending machines on the school grounds offering carbonated soft drinks. Students, however, can buy nondairy snack items such as juices, water and sports drinks from other vending machines around the campus.
Dorbish said students have responded well to the dairy machine, even with the other snack options still available on campus. Food service workers are experimenting with different items in the machine to determine what students like most.
"We have gotten a very good response from this and have been trying samples of some of the flavored milks also with good results," she said. "The students seem to be interested in the items, and the response to the machine shows that."