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May 2008 |
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As the farm to school movement builds, this newsletter highlights pivotal policies, news, publications, and events with this month’s focus on the Southeast Regional Lead Agency. Please contact us if you have any comments or suggestions. |
VICTORY AGAINST HUNGER AWARDS Congressional Hunger Center and Victory Wholesale Group DEADLINE: JUNE 6 Twenty-five $1,000 grants will be available to organizations building innovative “farm to school” programs including anti-hunger and community food security groups, food banks, schools and other active organizations. Learn more and apply!
PublicationsChef
Fest Notebook Appalachian Sustainable
Agriculture Project
Upcoming EventSJune 5th, Free Webinar Phone Symposium on Farm to School Action for Healthy Kids' Team members and Partner organizations are invited to join a phone symposium to learn about Farm to School programs in the United States. Registration is required. Please contact Action for Healthy Kids by e-mail.
July 17, Asheville, North Carolina Southeast Regional Farm to School Conference: Registration is limited. Sign up now to reserve your spot. Visit www.growing-minds.org to register or call 828-236-1282. Click on the conference flyer to learn more.
Helpful Links |
Spotlight Story![]() Southeast Regional Lead AgencyWith a relativity young farm to school movement in the southeast, the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), in partnership with the Community Farm Alliance (CFA) and the University of North Carolina (UNC), has the challenge and the pleasure of building a farm to school network in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Read More. |
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Featured Profile![]() Red Peppers and DedicationInterview with Alice Snodgrassby debra eschmeyerI chatted with the amiable and very knowledgeable Alice Snodgrass, Child Nutrition Director for Hawkins County Schools in East Tennessee, where farm to school initiatives have replaced French fries with baked local potato wedges. Due to a focus on good nutrition and the availability of local foods, schools
in Hawkins County have stopped serving French fries to students. Instead,
a local potato grower now processes his potatoes into seasoned, baked potato
wedges at a local USDA certified community kitchen and sells them to the
schools. Other popular local products served by the schools in Hawkins County
are lettuce,
strawberries, melons, tomatoes, spinach. How does she do it? |
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PolicyFarm Bill Review: What's In It for Farm to School?The following is a "short list" of programs that the Community Food Security Coalition has followed in the Farm Bill and their outcomes: Community Food Projects: Section 4406(a)(7) – Funds the program at $5 million (in mandatory money) for fiscal year 2008 and each year after, making it a permanent program. Geographic preference: Section 4302 – Allows K-12 schools receiving federal funds for the school lunch program the flexibility to specify a geographic preference for the procurement of unprocessed agricultural products. Report language indicates that “unprocessed” is not intended to be interpreted literally, and it states that "unprocessed" should include washing vegetables, bagging greens, butchering livestock and poultry, pasteurizing milk, or putting eggs in a carton. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program: Section 4304 – Provides $500 million (mandatory) over five years for selected schools to purchase at least one daily fresh fruit or vegetable snack. The program will focus on low-income school districts, and allocates 1% of funding total funding to each state and the District of Columbia with additional funding allocated by relative state population. Schools can preference local products. |
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This Month's NewsOff the Aramarkby Betsy Yagla. New Haven Advocate. In Connecticut, more than 80 school districts participate in the state’s “farm-to-school” program,
which encourages schools to buy local and provides suggestions for
adding food and nutrition into the school curriculum. Nearly every district
involved
serves local apples, and some serve other fruits and vegetables too. Costs hard to swallowby Ryan McCarthy. Appeal Democrat. Food prices, increasing more than 4 percent in the Unites States
last year, have hit schools here. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said
the food cost climb is the largest since 1990 and that a similar increase
is expected this year. Bloomfield Schools Farm to School ProgramNBC30. The Bloomfield Schools Farm-to-School Program, BSF2S, is highlighted
on NBC as a stellar lunch program. Watch
the video. |
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