JANS – Over the past seven years, the Jackson Heart Foundation has raised funds to support the purchase and installation of combination ovens for 15 schools within the Jackson Public School System. Most recently, they installed two new combi ovens for Madison Station Elementary and East Flora in the Madison County School System. By replacing fryers with a combi oven, this will significantly increase the healthy food choices available to kids in the Jackson and Madison public school systems.

Combination ovens, often shortened to “combi,” are both a convection oven and a steamer, allowing a kitchen to save space, time, and money by using only one piece of equipment. A combi oven can also use hot air and steam at the same time, creating flexibility for nearly all cooking styles including steaming, poaching, roasting, baking, blanching, re-thermalizing, and proofing.

Mississippi is rated among the highest in the nation with incidences of cardiovascular disease. Based off of this statistic, we believe it is vital to the health and well-being of our citizens to educate and encourage healthy lifestyles for our families and to increase awareness among the public about heart disease prevention. The Jackson Heart Foundation’s efforts are to fight heart disease in Mississippi through outreach programs and community partnerships to promote, educate, and empower individuals to lead healthier lifestyles.