Willamette Farm & Food Coalition
Farm to School Program
The Willamette Farm and Food Coalition is actively educating Lane County kids about where their food comes from and working to incorporate locally grown produce into the meals served in our schools.
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GOALS OF THE FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAM
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LOCAL FOOD IN SCHOOL LUNCHES
We are working to bring locally grown products to our school cafeterias. Each month an Oregon grown fruit or vegetable is highlighted in the cafeteria and in the classroom and served weekly in all Bethel, Eugene 4J and Springfield District cafeterias as part of a Harvest of the Month program. With our support, the Bethel School District purchases large quantities of locally grown produce. The Eugene 4J School District is purchasing from Lane County farms for the first time this year. Springfield Public Schools is also purchasing from local farms including the FOOD for Lane County Youth Farm, which is located within the school district. We are actively involved in the Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network working to make policy and infrastructure changes at the statewide level.
Information for Farmers: There is an opportunity to get the food that you grow into the mouths of school children in Lane County! It’s not easy or hugely profitable, but it can be a new market for your crops and help connect kids with the source of their food. Here is document to help you get started, if you are interested. Click here. |
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
The Willamette Farm and Food Coalition’s Farm to School Program recently received a Victory Against Hunger Award by the Congressional Hunger Center, Victory Wholesale Group, and National Farm to School Network, celebrating outstanding efforts in fighting hunger through promoting or creating innovative farm to school programs. Our program coordinator, Megan Kemple, recently received the Community Educator of the Year award from the Oregon Association of Conservation Districts.
Each fall and spring we bring an integrated educational program to students in the Bethel, Eugene 4J, Springfield and Crow Applegate Lorane Districts. The program includes:
- an introductory lesson about where our food comes from
- farm field trips
- a harvest meal
- school garden sessions
- nutrition lessons
- tasting tables
Farm Field Trips
Students visit local farms and have the opportunity to taste fresh produce in the field, help with a farm task, and harvest produce to bring back to school.
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Harvest Day
Students prepare a snack or meal together with food they harvested on their farm field trip.
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Garden Sessions
Students help to plant, tend and
harvest vegetables. These activities are implemented in collaboration
with The School Garden Project of Lane County.
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Garden-based Nutrition Education
Lessons focus on the nutritional value of fresh fruits and vegetables.
These activities are implemented in collaboration with staff from Oregon
State University’s Nutrition Education program.
Tasting Tables
During lunch time in the cafeteria students visit our special Tasting Table offering fresh locally grown vegetables from the farm they visited.
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The Willamette Farm and Food Coalition's Farm to School Program would like to thank the following local businesses and organizations for their generous support:
Capella Market
Communities and Schools Together (a project of the Oregon Research Institute)
David Minor Theater
Eugene Water and Electric Board
Glory Bee Foods
Hummingbird Wholesale
Pacific Continental Bank
Slow Food Eugene
Springfield Creamery
United Methodist Women
FARM TO SCHOOL NEWS
WFFC’s Farm to School program honored by USDA visit, May 2010
WFFC’s Farm to School Programs in the Eugene 4J and Bethel School Districts were selected for a visit by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm to School Team in May 2010. Nearly 300 school districts nationwide requested a visit from the team and fifteen (15) districts in nine (9) areas were selected for a visit. The Farm to School Team was established as part of the Department's Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative to create new economic opportunities by better connecting consumers with local producers.
The goal of the USDA team was to learn, in detail, about our farm to school initiatives and efforts, including the successes and challenges. This information will be used to provide guidance, technical assistance and best practices to schools and farmers who are interested in farm to school.
Four staff from the USDA's Farm to School Team were in Eugene for three days, meeting with Bethel for a day and a half and Eugene 4J school district for a day and a half. They interviewed Megan Kemple WFFC's Farm to School Program Coordinator, the nutrition services directors and managers, and three local farmers.
They got a good sense of our program's successes and barriers and what the federal government can do to support us. We were told that the Obama administration is very supportive of farm to school efforts and has established this 9 person farm to school team to move farm to school efforts forward. It was very validating to have such interest coming from the USDA and to give direct input to the federal government about what is working and what isn't working. You can read more about the Farm to School team and the goals of the visits at:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/F2S/f2stacticalteam.htm
GET INVOLVED!
If you are interested in learning more about the Farm to School Program or getting involved as a volunteer - please contact Megan Kemple, Farm to School Program Coordinator at 541-344-4329.
MAKE A CONTRIBUTION!
Become a donating member of the Willamette Farm and Food Coalition.
Contribute online through PayPal by clicking below (please indicate Farm to School Program)
Or mail your contributions to:
Willamette Farm and Food Coalition
P.O. Box 41672
Eugene, OR 97404-0389
Please make checks payable to WFFC and put "Farm to School Program" on the memo line.
WFFC is a 501c(3) organization and we will send you a receipt for tax purposes.
FARM TO SCHOOL RESOURCE LINKS:
National Farm to School Program
Community Food Security Coalition
Center for Ecoliteracy
School Garden Project of Lane County
Copyright© 2001-2010, WFFC. All rights reserved.