While these are certainly some models that other districts can look to as examples, the state is hoping to provide even more direction from both the standpoint of a farmer and an educator. This summer, the Department of Education (ODE) hired Joan Ottinger to coordinate the Farm-to-School and School Garden Program, and the Department of Agriculture hired Cory Schreiber, founder of Wildwood restaurant in Portland, as Farm-to-School program manager last fall. The ODE position was created by an Oregon legislative bill this March.
[...]
State Reps. Tina Kotek (D-Portland) and Brian Clem (D-Salem) plan on re-introducing two bills during the 2009 session that would change the way lunch is served in Oregon schools. One bill would request that the state match a portion of federal dollars if districts purchase Oregon agricultural products, and the other would provide grants to start or maintain school gardens.
......................
A couple of other farm-to-school programs here in Oregon worth a mention -
Portland Public Schools
PPS hopes to incorporate farm-to-school programs on a district-wide level. "Every year we're trying to build on what we did the previous year," said Kristy Obbink, director of nutrition services.
Currently, all the schools have a Harvest of the Month program, which delivers farm fresh fruits and vegetables twice a month from February to June.
The district also recently received a $290,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente Community Fund that has allowed them to add a local lunch once a month. Just one meal once a month isn't enough to push them out of the National School Lunch Program guidelines, said Obbink, but it still wouldn't be possible cost-wise without the grant.
Also here in Portland, the Abernethy Elementary School's Garden of Wonders program -
Beginning in September 2005, two aspects of the Garden of Wonders project grew and developed. The first was the expansion of the food and garden education program that teaches students about food, how to grow and prepare it, and its cultural significance. For the first time, the Garden of Wonders education program became a part of the school curriculum. A full-time AmeriCorps volunteer serves as the Food and Garden Coordinator, instructing the students in the vegetable garden, the native plant garden, and the kitchen classroom. Each of the 366 students at Abernethy participates in the program for three full weeks each year, giving students seasonal experiences in the garden.
Because of the Garden of Wonders history and commitment to teach children about local, seasonal and sustainable foods, Portland Public School's Nutrition Services committed to reviving the Abernethy on-site kitchen for preparing and serving students breakfast and lunch, cooked from scratch, on a daily basis. This demonstration project is providing Nutrition Services with data to address the challenges and benefits of running an on-site kitchen.
Thus there are three significant program components: the Scratch Kitchen Model, the Garden of Wonders, the physical outdoor garden space which serves as a living laboratory for all Abernethy students, and the Garden of Wonders Classroom where students tie food and garden education to practical, hands-on classroom science, math, language, history and art lessons.
Bend-La Pine
The farm to school program at Bend-La Pine is coordinated by Katrina Wiest, Wellness Specialist for the district as well as manager for the local farmers' market. The program consists of once a week deliveries of fresh, local produce to all the schools in the district (14 elementary, 8 middle, 7 high and alternative schools), 3 private schools and 3 Head Start programs. The farmers' harvest the product on Tuesday, inform the district of the quantity and product they will be bringing in, and bring it in to the school nutrition services warehouse on Wednesdays before heading off to the farmers' market. The product is then divided into equal portions for each of the schools and transported to each school where the kitchen staff clean and prepare it serving to students.
In the spring, a variety of products such as strawberries, blueberries, green beans, cucumber, cauliflower, broccoli, melons, watermelons, tiny watermelons, cantaloupe, cassava, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, peppers, celery, carrots maybe available in a school produce box. Fruits from the farmers market are also used in the "Breakfast in the classroom" program in 7 schools. There isn't much wasted from the produce, but if there are leftovers, they get used up in the after school snack program that feeds 300 children or the supper program that feeds 150 children. Any leftovers from the farmers' market are also served up in the cafeteria the next day.
............................
FarmtoSchool.org is a great resource to look up information and news on many other programs all across the country. |
