Farm to School & Thank You
And so it begins… public schools are back in session and Farm to School Week is off to a great start! Lots of schools in Virginia are participating; here in Central Virginia, Local Food Hub has partnered with Albemarle, Nelson and Greene Counties and City of Charlottesville public schools to get tons of fresh, local fruits, vegetables and meat on lunch menus all week. Many of these schools already source local products through Local Food Hub on a regular basis, but Farm to School week gives them an opportunity to take it up a notch and really celebrate.
Menus will include broccoli and sweet potatoes from Critzer Family Farm, spinach and butternut squash from Singing Earth Produce, asian pears and apples from Saunders Brothers, more apples from Henley’s Orchard, and drumroll please… 871 pounds of local, grass-fed ground beef from 6 farms — Prospect Farm, Sherwood Farm, Holland’s Three Rivers Farm, and Best of What’s Around.
If you’re a regular reader, you know that we recently held a mini-fundraiser for our Farm to School Fund. Community members, parents and even some out-of-state supporters all chipped and helped us reach — actually exceed — our goal. In just a few short days, we raised more than $850 from 31 amazing, committed supporters. These funds helped procure lots of local, grass-fed beef from local farmers at a fair price — a win-win for kids, parents, farmers, and schools.
Local Food Hub would like to publicly thank the following contributors to our Farm to School Fund. These folks came together and took action, all in the name of healthy kids, fresh food, and family farmers. This program wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for their initiative. Thank you, friends!
2011 Farm to School Fund Heroes:
Anonymous (9)
Karen Beauford
Jennifer Bedrosian
Best of What’s Around
Stephanie Blanch
Kara and Chris Burke
Kate Collier & Eric Gertner
Lisa Colton
Jill Douthit
Chris Garay
Jennifer Henderson
Guinevere Higgins
Allie & Duncan Hill
Ann Marie Hohenberger
Emily Manley
John & Ginni Manley
Erin Moore
Marsha Musser
Edith McHenry
Becky Reid
Kristen Suokko
Marleen Townsend
Maggie Unsworth
Tracey Webber/Eat!
Are you celebrating Farm to School Week? Tell us about it in the comments. And if you’ve got kids at Stoney Point Elementary, tell them to come see us! Steve and I will be there for all lunch periods tomorrow (11/10).
Image credit: KGI.org
I just had the meatloaf at the CHS cafeteria and it was excellent!!! Hooray for local beef!
yes! a report from the field. that is great news! we’ll be testing the chili at Stoney Point tomorrow…
A Colorado school we know has teamed up with the community to do great things. They recently had a celebration for National Food Day and their school garden is growing leaps and bounds! For more info about their project: http://geodesic-greenhouse-kits.com/community/school-garden-program-inside-and-out/