About Jefferson County Farm to School Coalition

Jefferson County Farm to School Coalition is a community-based group working to improve the nutritional value of food served in Jefferson County Schools.

» To educate students, their families, school staff and community members of the importance of childhood nutrition.
» To advocate for fresh, whole and seasonal foods in place of highly processed ones.
» To support the school board and administrators, food service providers and farmers, and to overcome barriers to buying and serving local and regionally grown foods.
» To assist in making school gardening projects successful.

Board & Staff

Kit Kittredge, President: Kit has been an organic farmer for 37 years. She moved to Washington State in 1976 and planted trees and started a family on the West End .She owned and operated Coastal Gardens landscape and organic produce for 20 years. The rich soils of Quilcene inspired her to start the Quilcene Farmer’s market and the Horticulture Club at Quilcene School where she has been a School Board member and a volunteer for years. She is a massage therapist, volunteer firefighter/EMT and advocate for healthy, happy humans.

Jennifer Kruse, Treasurer: Jennifer is passionate about nutrition and healthy foods for youth as well as providing hands-on experiences for all types of learners. She teaches Health, Culinary Arts and Career/Life Skills at the Port Townsend High School. She was born and raised in Port Townsend and feels strong community ties in this small town community. She has a passion for travel in which she has tied into volunteerism and community development throughout Latin America. While receiving her teaching certification in Missoula Montana she spent much of her time developing and teaching outdoor and environmental education programs.

Al Cairns, Secretary: Al was a licensed Merchant Marine officer and made mischief in ports from Alaska to Nova Scotia for almost two decades. He decided to grow up and took his station behind a desk with Jefferson County’s Department of Public Works, the agency that secured funding for the start of the school garden in Quilcene and at Grant St. in Port Townsend. Al is a certified Permaculture designer, has studied appropriate technology throughout the U.S. and abroad and loves nothing more than planting trees and finding inspiration in young people learning in a garden.

Linda Herzog moved to Jefferson County in 2009 after building a “just right” weekend house in Quilcene, then deciding Quilcene is the perfect full-time home. She installed a veggie garden sized for family sufficiency, then joined with neighbors and friends working on community-building activities now called “Quilcene Conversations”. Drawn to the values and promise of the Farm to School Coalition, Herzog joined the Board in early 2013. She cannot imagine a better way to grow a healthy community from the ground up! Of Herzog’s past pursuits – city management (Sequim, Renton, Mercer Island, Redmond), teen violence prevention (RW Johnson Foundation research in Detroit, Oakland, Baltimore), program analysis/inspection (US Dept. of Health & Human Services), independent management consulting, creation of low-income health clinics (US Public Health Service), and hospital/nursing home certification for Medicare – the best pursuit so far is retirement.

Rochelle Prather is passionate about making local sustainable food available to all, starting with our most important citizens, our children. Her culinary and hospitality experience spans 38 years. As a Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy, she assisted the Presidential Food Service Director in providing worldwide food service to the President and First Family, providing gourmet meals and catered functions, Social Aide Dinners for visiting Heads-of-State and complete catering coordination to the White House. She also supervised dining service at The White House Mess Executive Dining Rooms and worked at the President’s guesthouse, preparing gourmet pastries and baked goods for visiting dignitaries. Rochelle has managed large-scale fine and casual dining restaurants, catering and banquet businesses. She came to Bon Appétit in 2009 from Navy Region Northwest where she was Regional Conference and Catering Sales Manager overseeing conference lodging sales for 5 venues and catering sales for six venues across the Pacific Northwest. Rochelle lives and gardens in Port Ludlow with her husband Brad and their dog Major.

Linda Herzog moved to Jefferson County in 2009 after building a “just right” weekend house in Quilcene, then deciding Quilcene is the perfect full-time home. She installed a veggie garden sized for family sufficiency, then joined with neighbors and friends working on community-building activities now called “Quilcene Conversations”. Drawn to the values and promise of the Farm to School Coalition, Herzog joined the Board in early 2013. She cannot imagine a better way to grow a healthy community from the ground up! Of Herzog’s past pursuits – city management (Sequim, Renton, Mercer Island, Redmond), teen violence prevention (RW Johnson Foundation research in Detroit, Oakland, Baltimore), program analysis/inspection (US Dept of Health & Human Services), independent management consulting, creation of low-income health clinics (US Public Health Service), and hospital/nursing home certification for Medicare – the best pursuit so far is retirement.

Jan Hopfenbeck

Candice Cosler, Program & School Garden Director: Candice created the school garden program in Jefferson County in 2009 and is the School Garden Coordinator in Port Townsend, Quilcene and Chimacum School District. She has been involved in the local food movement for over 32 years and owns the landscape design business Discovery Gardens. Her experience ranges from an edible landscape designer, a market gardener, a nurserywoman, a commercial fisher, a farmers market manager to an award winning garden designer at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. She was a founding member of the Port Townsend Farmers Market, Jefferson County Farm to School Coalition and Oceana Food Coop in Newport, OR. She is the horticulture advisor in Quilcene School.

Caitlin Arnold, School Garden Assistant: Caitlin has been working on small farms throughout the Northwest for the
past seven years. A Seattle native, she found herself in Port Townsend a year ago, growing veggies at Red Dog Farm in Chimacum. She is now working with Candice as the School Garden Assistant, as well as the Port Townsend Food Bank Farm Coordinator, and as a Field Assistant with the Organic Seed Alliance. She is passionate about getting nutritious food to all who need it, supportive of all things small-farm related, and is an avid amateur pickler!

Coalition Members

• Shirley Broughton
• Kate Dean
• Sam Gibboney
• Carol Green
• Joan Hendricks
• Rosanna Herman
• Michele Moriarty
• Kit Pennel
• Sally Pfaff
• Seth Rolland
• Mary Sepler
• Aaran Stak
• Pam Trail
• Jessica Winsheimer
• Joy Wenzel
• Amy Yaley