So far this year, students at Clanton Elementary School have munched on apples, bananas, pears, plums, oranges and other fruits and vegetables come snack time.

That’s a far cry from the potato chips, cookies and other not-so-healthy snacks many of us remember carrying to school.

What’s more is that the fruits and vegetables don’t cause students and their families a penny.

The Chilton County School system earned a $50,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to buy the produce for this year.

Child Nutrition Program Director Pat Clements and her staff, as well as the cafeteria crew at Clanton, should be commended for their work in making this program a success.

Childhood obesity is a serious problem facing our kids today. Having a snack program in place that focuses on healthy eating, nutrition education and exercise is a great way to combat this problem.

The grant is renewable. We hope the system will be given money to continue the program next year and even expand it to other schools.