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BANG FOR THE BITE
You gotta get the ear of the school administration first, but farm-to-school programs mean healthier kids and a healthier planet.
COCKTAIL FACT
Hoping to curb childhood obesity rates, West Virginia plans to install the video game Dance Dance Revolution in all of its public schools by 2008.
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home › tip library › Farm to School Programs
Is your kid getting fresh in the lunch line?
The Bite
We hope so - foodwise, anyway. Farm-to-school lunch programs deliver nutritious, locally grown food, and they're popping up everywhere, so help get your kid's chuckwagon on the farm-fresh bandwagon.The Benefits
- Eco-friendliness. A conventional carrot travels 1,838 miles from farm to cafeteria. Farm-to-school meat, dairy, and produce are often sourced from fewer than 100 miles away.
- Healthier kids. Farm-to-school programs increase kids' fruit-'n'-veggie intake by 25%.
- Helping local farmers. Farm-to-school programs provide a reliable source of income to local farms in need.
- Making good dollars and sense. The USDA says healthier diets could prevent $71 billion in medical costs every year.
Personally Speaking
Jen's friend Jenny (yep, yet another one) is helping to start a farm-to-school program in Bozeman. Check the blog to hear her story (and if you're in MT, see how you can help).Wanna Try?
- Farm to School - great resource on getting a farm-to-school program started in your kids' school district.
- Two Angry Moms - two moms are documenting their fight for healthier school lunches.
Aug 22,2007
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Bringing Farm-to-School to MT
Today's Guest Blogger: Jenny Grossenbacher
Inspired by a course on sustainability I took in Esalen, CA, I started working on an idea I had for creating a community sustainability center. The core focus kept coming back to food, and how we sustain ourselves and our communities at the same time. Coupled with that, I kept hearing my oldest daughter Mackenzie begging not to have to eat the school lunch. I finally put two and two together and realized how drastically we needed to change the system.
Another trip back to Esalen for a workshop with Amory Lovins provided me with an arsenal of info and contacts. I was blown away by the enthusiasm and support that the Farm-to-School idea garnered when I first started talking about it in Bozeman. I don't know if I would have made it a step further if a handful of mothers at our elementary school didn't jump on the bus with me. They were right there to support and add great ideas.
One short email to farm-to-school expert U of MT professor Dr. Neva Hassanein and Grow Montana, led to a community gathering of more than 65 people, and the program continued to grow quickly from there. The support of Bozeman School District's Food Service Director, Bob Burrows, was huge. Add to that the volunteer support that Grow Montana granted us (in the form of a full-year Food Corps volunteer), and we were off to a great start in a state where folks said Farm-to-School would never work!
School lunches often include fatty beef from industrial cattle operations, genetically modified corn and soy products, and heavily processed grains. Tell your legislators you want our kids eating healthier food. The Farm Bill, a massive piece of legislation that is reauthorized every five years and dictates what our kids eat for lunch, will be on the floor of the Senate this September. Call your senators about this very important topic - or visit http://healthyfarmbill.org to send them an email.
-Jen's friend Jenny Grossenbacher...off to the co-op...
Inspired by a course on sustainability I took in Esalen, CA, I started working on an idea I had for creating a community sustainability center. The core focus kept coming back to food, and how we sustain ourselves and our communities at the same time. Coupled with that, I kept hearing my oldest daughter Mackenzie begging not to have to eat the school lunch. I finally put two and two together and realized how drastically we needed to change the system.
Another trip back to Esalen for a workshop with Amory Lovins provided me with an arsenal of info and contacts. I was blown away by the enthusiasm and support that the Farm-to-School idea garnered when I first started talking about it in Bozeman. I don't know if I would have made it a step further if a handful of mothers at our elementary school didn't jump on the bus with me. They were right there to support and add great ideas.
One short email to farm-to-school expert U of MT professor Dr. Neva Hassanein and Grow Montana, led to a community gathering of more than 65 people, and the program continued to grow quickly from there. The support of Bozeman School District's Food Service Director, Bob Burrows, was huge. Add to that the volunteer support that Grow Montana granted us (in the form of a full-year Food Corps volunteer), and we were off to a great start in a state where folks said Farm-to-School would never work!
School lunches often include fatty beef from industrial cattle operations, genetically modified corn and soy products, and heavily processed grains. Tell your legislators you want our kids eating healthier food. The Farm Bill, a massive piece of legislation that is reauthorized every five years and dictates what our kids eat for lunch, will be on the floor of the Senate this September. Call your senators about this very important topic - or visit http://healthyfarmbill.org to send them an email.
-Jen's friend Jenny Grossenbacher...off to the co-op...
Biter Comments...
Interesting tip, especially since it was just in the news that the Chicago Public Schools is closing its revolutionary program of this sort.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-organic17aug17,1,657934.story
I agree with the concept but it would never work in my local school districts which are short 120 teachers as the new year begins. If I had the land for such a program I would donate it. Even then though with school budgets declining and classrooms bursting, I am not the conservative republican region will accept it. Especially when the school districts are trying to float a $100 Million dollar bond in the next election.
Hi Jenny,
you might want to check out this blog,http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/abeln/2007/08/fat_is_contagious.html too, about schools and overweight children. seems like you are all on the same page...perhaps if your heads were put together changes could be made! Good luck!
stephenie
my link didn't work above...trying again...
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/abeln/2007/08/fat_is_contagious.html
It's true - working farm to school programs are critical in educating our future activists about the importance of nutrition, agriculture, and sustainability. I realize it's not easy when you have underfunded schools, but the desire and interest is there. Slow Food USA has seen this as well and today works with more than 30 schools educating children not just about what to eat but turning them passionatly onto food that tastes wonderful and is good for them. Look at http://www.slowfoodusa.org/education/ for the work we have begun with educators around the country.
ew, how dare you post comments for breeders when [B]I[/B] don't even have a kid? really, we should all just pretend that children don't exist!
(just kidding... my reaction to all of the negative feedback from the porn tip)
cool tip, ladies, though not one i will put to use personally....
Julia, love your sense of humor. Glad you are a Biter! Rock on, Jen B (of Ideal Bite)
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Dr. Susan Rubin | August 22, 2007 at 05:06 AM