Food On! Farm to School Program

WE WANT HEALTHY LOCAL FOOD FOR LANE COUNTY KIDS!

The Willamette Farm and Food Coalition’s Farm to School Program is committed to providing the children of Lane County with access to local, affordable, nutritious, delicious, and culturally appropriate food.  We have been working hard to educate children about where their food comes from and to incorporate locally grown produce into the meals served in our schools.
 

We know that providing children with local, nutritious food prepared in a delicious way is only a part of the solution to children gaining the tools they need to make lifelong choices that favor good nutrition, health, and sustainable living.

Farm to School is made possible by the generous support of the Bankoff Blanchet Family Foundation, Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation, Spirit Mountain Community Fund, Trust Management Services, and Slow Food Eugene.

 Additional support for Farm to School comes from our business partners: Café Mam, Capella Market, Glory Bee Foods, Hummingbird Wholesale, Pacific Continental Bank, and Springfield Creamery. 

IN 2007 Food On! ACHIEVED THE FOLLOWING: 

• Promoted statewide farm to school legislation; resulting in the development of a Farm to School Program within the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
• Implemented a model Farm to School Program in the Crow Applegate Lorane School District; 
• Implemented a Harvest of the Month Program in the Eugene 4J School District (incorporating Oregon grown fruits and vegetables into meals served to students) 
• Assisted Head Start of Lane County in procuring locally grown fruits and vegetables to be served in snacks and lunches.  
• Participated in statewide and national  Farm to School meetings; and
• Raised community awareness about Farm to School 

MODEL FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAM

In the spring and fall of 2007, WFFC took Farm to School to the Applegate and Lorane Elementary Schools just south of Eugene. We developed and implemented a model Farm to School Program in partnership with the School Garden Project of Lane County and Oregon State University Extension, Lane County.  All 5th and 6th graders at both schools joined us for:

Garden-based Nutrition Education
Nutrition Education staff from Oregon State University Extension taught nutrition lessons focused on the nutritional value of the fresh fruits and vegetables.

Farm Field Trips
Students went on field trips to two farms- Laughing Stock Farm and Sweetwater Farm and Nursery.  At Sweetwater they had a tour of the farm, tasted kohlrabi, broccoli and peppers, and helped out with farm tasks. At Laughing Stock they toured the farm, collected eggs right out from under the chickens, laid down fresh straw in the chicken’s boxes, washed and processed eggs, visited turkeys, pigs, piglets, and goats, and tasted and compared store bought eggs to Farmer Paul’s fresh eggs.  

       

   

Local food in School Lunches
WFFC is also working to bring locally grown products to our school cafeterias.  The average fruit or vegetable consumed in the U.S. travels 1500 miles from farm to table!  One way to use less fuel and reduce our “carbon footprint” is to buy food grown closer to home. Beginning in September 2007, the Eugene 4J School District and WFFC, will implement a Harvest of the Month program.  Each month an Oregon grown fruit or vegetable will be highlighted and served weekly in the all Eugene 4J cafeterias.  Students will learn about how the produce was grown, where it came from, and its nutritional and cultural value. 

WFFC assisted Head Start of Lane County, the Eugene Relief Nursery, SCAR/Jasper Mountain, and the Blue Mountain School to incorporate products from local farms into snacks and lunches served at these sites. 

Three good reasons to support Farm to School:

1) The health of your children depends on it! Fresh, local food contains the nutrients our children need for energy and healthy growth. Foods that are high in fat and sugar contribute to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and many well-documented behavioral problems including hyperactivity, lethargy, and aggression.

2) Local food is good for the local economy. Supporting and potentially increasing production of food crops in Lane County means more jobs, more local spending and tax benefits. Buying locally produced food supports local farms and increases local economic activity.

3) Local food helps create food security. On average our food travels 1500 miles before it gets to our plate.  Creating partnerships with local farms and supporting agriculture in Lane County will create food security for our children and our community.

PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING OUR FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAM

Volunteer! 
Food On! Farm to School Program is looking for volunteers who are passionate about the wellness of children. Volunteers would be involved in activities such as:

• Creating and implementing a Harvest of the Month Curriculum. 
• Implementing our model Farm to School Program in the Crow Applegate Lorane District, and other schools in the Eugene area. 
• Networking with PTA's and PTO's to educate our community about local food and nutrition issues.
• Office work such as data entry and designing promotional materials.
• Connecting farmers with schools districts and other institutions.

FARM TO SCHOOL RESOURCE LINKS:

National Farm to School Program  
Community Food Security Coalition  
Center for Ecoliteracy  
School Garden Project of Lane County  

Willamette Farm and Food Coalition
PO Box 41672, Eugene OR 97404-0389 (541) 341-1216
E-Mail WFFC (this page last updated on March 29. 2008 )