Farm to School History in Jefferson County
2008-2010 Ongoing discussions with school administrators, board, staff, food service directors, farmers, agencies and organizations to gather data; what are barriers, concerns, challenges, needs, successes, etc.
WINTER 2008 Presented two community events featuring films on food security & the global food crisis; one event included a panel discussion with farmers, food buyers and WSU Jefferson Landworks.
WINTER 2008 Attended conference “Confronting the Food Crisis” in Seattle.
WINTER 2008 Attended conference “Food for Our Future” presented by Olycap & WSU. We invited school administration & staff. Port Townsend and Port Angeles food service directors also went to the conference.
SPRING 2008 Presented a community event with Lopez Island School Superintendent, WSU Adjunct Professor and Community Land Trust officer. http://www.lopezclt.org/the-lopez-island-farm-education-life/
They represented their farm to school program, their mobile meat-processing unit, sustainable agriculture and affordable housing. Held a round table breakfast & discussion the following morning with Lopez presenters. Our mayor, superintendents, food service director, planners, city council members, farmers attended events & local food advocates.
SCHOOL YEAR 2008-2009 Held several meetings with school administration in Port Townsend, Quilcene and Brinnon about starting a school garden and compost program.
JANUARY 2009 Attended the Eco farming Conference in Monterey, CA. http://www.eco-farm.org/programs/efc/ Toured and filmed many school gardens, including the Edible Schoolyard started and supported by Alice Waters, of Chez Panisse. http://www.edibleschoolyard.org/
SPRING 2009 Launched the school garden and compost program in Port Townsend and Quilcene (See pages 4 and 5 about the school gardens), http://issuu.com/leader/docs/livinggreen
SPRING 2009 Three representatives attended the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Portland. http://farmtocafeteriaconference.org/4/
SUMMER 2009 Observed Seattle Tilth children’s garden, many Seattle school gardens, and Mara Farm. http://seattletilth.org/ & http://pugetsoundschoolgardens.org/
FALL 2009 Helped facilitate one purchase of local tomatoes to the Port Townsend School District.
SUMMER & FALL 2009 Toured and filmed farm to cafeteria and school garden programs in Olympia, Lopez Island, and Methow School Districts.
FALL 2009 Produced the Farm to Cafeteria Film “Stepping Up to the Plate”.
FALL 2009 Co-produced the North Olympic Peninsula Farm to Cafeteria Conference with presenters:
Mary Selecky- WA State Secretary of Health
Tricia Sexton-Kovacs -WSDA Farm to School Director
Stacey Sobell Williams – Ecotrust & Portland School District’s program
Bill Evans- former Lopez Island School Superintendent
Personally invited food service directors and staff, school board members, superintendents, principals, teachers, health care providers, farmers, mayors, city council members, county commissioners, city planners. 160 attended and there was standing room only for the event. Had break out groups including one for farmers and food service staff. http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20091106/news/311069988
WINTER 2009 Follow up event featuring films of presenters at the conference including
Mary Selecky- WA State Secretary of Health, Tricia Sexton-Kovacs -WSDA Farm to School Director & Bill Evans- former Lopez Island School Superintendent. We showed the film “Stepping Up to the Plate” which highlights the Farm to Cafeteria programs in Olympia and Methow school districts. Community leaders gave short presentations of the work they have done to further the cause and what they hope to accomplish in the future.
JANUARY 2010 Buyers and Farmers Meeting. Invited school administration, food service directors, buyers, farmers & chef Jay Payne at Bon Appetit, who has bought and prepared local foods for over 10 years.
WINTER 2010 Attended Seattle Tilth workshop for school garden coordinators, http://seattletilth.org/
WINTER 2010 Started the organization, Jefferson County Farm to School Coalition
WINTER 2010 Facilitated the first purchase of local beef to the Quilcene School District. http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010303099992
SPRING 2010 Held a Farm to School community event at the Rose Theater
showing two films and followed with presentations by leaders in Quicene, Port Angeles, Sequim & Port Townsend “Stepping Up to the Plate” and “Two Angry Moms”. http://www.angrymoms.org/
SPRING 2010 Toured and filmed farm to cafeteria and school garden program on Lopez Island.
SPRING 2010 Gathered over 1200 signatures of Port Townsend residents showing community support of healthier food in the schools. Presented to the Port Townsend school board.
SPRING 2010 Set up information booths at Farmers Market , Our Co-op Kids Festival & Food Coop alcove.
SPRING 2010 Wellness committee formed in Port Townsend.
SPRING 2010 Attended the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Detroit and toured school and community gardens and farms, had lunch at a Detroit school, where fresh local asparagus was served. http://farmtocafeteriaconference.org/5/
SPRING 2010 Attended the Port Angeles Nutrition and Physical Education Advisory Committee meeting to hear about the success of the Jefferson Lunch Project.
PERSPECTIVE – Farm to Cafeteria in Jefferson County
(Published in The Leader – June 16, 2010)
What is a Farm to Cafeteria program and why is it important for our community? It means serving locally grown foods in institutions; including schools, hospitals, and senior centers. It means providing more nutritious and tastier food that’s freshly picked and often organically grown. It means creating new markets for small farmers who struggle with overhead costs, high land values yet don’t qualify for government subsidies. It means growing school gardens offering hands-on education in science, environmental studies and nutrition. The Farm to Cafeteria movement is growing and has expanded to almost 9000 schools around the US in the last few years.
Studies show that kids perform better in school and have fewer behavioral problems when they eat nutrient rich foods free of additives and refined sugar. Most school meal programs today consist of highly processed foods high in fats, sugar, salt and additives prepared in heat-and-serve kitchens. Concerned with the obesity epidemic that is gripping our nation, Michelle Obama, launched the “Let’s Move” campaign to end childhood obesity in one generation. Type 2 diabetes is at an all time high, 25% of our nation’s health care costs are linked to obesity related illnesses and this generation of children is predicted to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.
A report by Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, and Senator Lugar, shows that the dramatic increase of obesity is reducing the pool of healthy young adults available for military service, thereby threatening our national security. The retired military leaders asked Congress to pass new child nutrition legislation that will remove junk food and improve nutritional standards for school foods.
Food service staffs face stiff challenges, including the removal of scratch kitchens, tight budgets allowing only one dollar a meal for food, subsidized commodity foods of poor quality and pressure by processed food producers to carry their products.
The Child Nutrition Reauthorization is up for renewal this year. Now is the time to ask Congress for more funding for the school meal program, many of the nation’s children receive over 50% of their daily food intake. Call your congressional members today and ask them to support the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, S.3307 and bills HR4710 in the House and S.3123 in the Senate.
Passionate volunteers are working with farmers, community leaders, organizations and legislators hoping to improve the quality of food served in institutions and increase the health of our community. They attended national Farm to Cafeteria conferences, organized a conference for the North Olympic Peninsula, produced an educational film and held other events. Over 1200 people in Port Townsend signed a petition in support of healthier food in our schools. Financial and professional support has been offered as well.
So what’s happening on the home front? Quilcene School District will commit 10-20% of their food budget for local purchases, will feature a local vegetable or fruit of the month to serve weekly, will integrate nutritional education in their curriculum and continue their school garden/compost program. Port Angeles improved salad bars, launched a lunch trial with more scratch cooking, offered vegetarian options and sourced local when possible. It has been such a success they continued past the trial period and are planning to expand to all schools next year. Port Townsend School District has a school garden at Grant Street and the wellness committee is working on a healthier trial breakfast.
Starting a Farm to Cafeteria program takes leadership, patience, hard work, assistance on many levels and broad community support. Our children, patients, seniors, institution staff, farmers and community members deserve the best that we can offer.
