April 2008

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As the movement builds to bring local food to schools across the country, this newsletter highlights pivotal policies, news, publications, and events with April’s focus on the Victory Against Hunger Awards. Please contact us if you have any comments or suggestions.

Victory Against Hunger Awards

25 Awards of $1,000 Each

The National Farm to School Network is extremely honored to have the 2008 Victory Against Hunger (VAH) Award’s theme be Farm to School. Take advantage of this incredible opportunity to advocate for your program and be nominated for a VAH Award. It’s not about the money (even though every cent helps), it’s about raising awareness of a farm to school program to your Congressional representative for future supportive farm to school policy and press.

No Application!

Potential awardees may only be nominated by a member of the U.S. Congress. The application process consists of a one or two page letter from a member of Congress to the Congressional Hunger Center highlighting the nominee’s efforts in fighting hunger through promoting or creating innovative farm to school programs. Use your request for a nomination letter as an open door into showcasing your organization and program to your elected official. Who knows, this could lead to new legislation that provides funding for a new cafeteria oven or staff! What are you waiting for…

Get Nominated!

The nomination period is April 1st through June 6th, 2008 for organizations building innovative “farm to school” programs including anti-hunger and community food security groups, food banks and schools. Awards will be announced on July 1st.

Congressional offices send nomination letter to:
Victory Against Hunger, c/o Congressional Hunger Center
Hall of the States Building
400 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite G-100
Washington, DC 20001

As Easy as 1-2-3

Tips on Winning a Victory Against Hunger Award

1. Contact your local or Washington, DC office of the House or Senate member who represents your area and ask for the staff that handles nutrition, hunger, and/or agriculture issues. (This is a great relationship to start if you haven’t already!) To find your elected official, visit: www.congress.org and enter your zip code in the upper left corner.

2. Explain to the Congressional Office how the VAH awards program is a “win/win” situation in that members of Congress get an opportunity to recognize (with a private sector donated cash award) the valuable work of one of their constituent organizations. (Make sure to provide the Congressional office all the information it needs to clearly demonstrate that your organization is effectively developing and/or implementing a Farm to School program.) A member of Congress then simply submits a one or two page letter describing how your organization has been engaged in a Farm to School effort.

3. Complete the letter by having the Congressional Office include the necessary contact details! Consideration is only given to nomination letters which include the name, address, and telephone number of a contact person in either the local or Washington, DC, Congressional office willing to accept the VAH award check.

Contact for more info: Ed Cooney or Angelina Pérez: Phone: (202) 547-7022; www.hungercenter.org

History

The VAH awards were established in the mid 90’s by Ambassador Tony Hall of Dayton, Ohio. Tony was then a major leader in Congress in the fight against hunger. David and Leslie Kantor and their family owned a boutique grocery chain and asked Tony what they could do to assist poor and hungry families. They came up with a win/win idea. Their idea was to honor local groups, nominated by a member of Congress, for outstanding work on behalf of low income people. To date the Kantor family has contributed nearly $300,000 in VAH awards to local groups.

VAH awards have been given to local groups for:

  • Improving access to or the quality of child nutrition programs (instrumental in the enactment of school wellness legislation),
  • Creating innovative projects on “food as medicine” for people with HIV/AIDS and other life threatening illnesses (convinced six members of Congress to pursue the restoration of funding for food and nutrition services in the 2009 Ryan White legislation)
  • Maximizing the use of Food Stamps (helpful in highlighting the need to expand food stamp benefits in the 2002 Farm Bill)

A Taste of April News

Jr Iron Chef VIDEO

BY stuck in vermont

Mmm, something smells good. Middle and high school students from all over the state of Vermont compete in Jr Iron Chef which aims to celebrate local food, showcase VT seasonal produce and promote healthy local-food dishes in schools. Watch the video.

Program Dishes Up Healthier Students

by Bryan painter. The oklahoman

Maybe they've seen the fields and the gardens. Undoubtedly, they've seen the food on a table. But have Oklahoma students made a connection? And really, why should they? Oklahoma's Farm to School Initiative is answering that question at more and more schools throughout the state. Read the entire article.

Agriculture grant to help promote fresh fruit and vegetable consumption

South Carolina Headlines

Students in several South Carolina elementary public schools will be munching on fresh carrots or peaches in their classrooms and hallways next school year. A $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is partnering the South Carolina Department of Education’s Office of School Food Services and Nutrition with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture to work with local farmers to purchase locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables program. Read the entire article.

Tools for Change – One Letter Leads to Legislation

by Beth Collins. Lunch Lessons.

What a few choice words can do to stimulate policy that translates into real change through a local non-profit's e-newsletter after the local paper wouldn't publish it! Read the entire article.

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