Last updated on September 11, 2010 by Liza Hawkins
Maryland schools have more of a Food Revolution feel than I thought. Yesterday, I got an email from the school system, alerting me of a new press release for “School Lunch Week” that starts on Monday. I wasn’t quite sure what the release would be about. Maybe all the kids are supposed to bring their lunch next week (no problem here), or maybe they were going to encourage the parents to have their kids buy lunch next week. Who knows?
As it turns out, the press release was kind of a blend of both worlds, the healthiness of a homemade lunch with the convenience of a school-bought lunch. “School Lunch Week” is really the vessel for something much more important, in my opinion: Farm to School. Started three years ago, Farm to School brings local, Maryland-grown produce to the schools. Here are a few interesting facts I pulled from their website:
- Maryland was the only state in which all of its public school systems have participated in the program.
- The program has the support of over 30 local Maryland farms.
- They aim to educate students about where their food comes from, how its produced, and the benefits of a healthy diet.
Harford County has become a bell-cow of sorts for the Farm to School program. Last year over 70% of the food in their schools came from producers within a 50 mile radius during the Maryland growing season! I don’t know about you, but I find that to be amazing and shocking at the same time!
I’m hopeful that this new view on food and locally grown produce in the schools catches on – I believe it will; there’s too much positive chatter going on for it not to. I can’t think of a better way to support local farmers, large and small, while also making a big impact on the lives of our kids. Especially those that might not otherwise have the opportunity.
What a great idea! I tried talking to my son’s local school about getting in fresh produce from some local farms, and they insisted the kids wouldn’t eat it.
Ugh.
Ugh is right – sounds just like that little town in WV that Jamie Oliver focused on in “Food Revolution.” They changed their minds when they saw that the kids loved it more…. Hopefully yours will catch on!
This is great! T’s school is doing their “Be Well” Campaign and I am so excited about the school encouraging healthy living in the kids. They set a goal of being soda and sugar free by 2011-2012 and teachers are asking parents to not send candy, etc. in school lunches!
And that’s tough – when the schools are on board, and the kids still bring junk. We’re not junk-free in our house, but it’s all in moderation. Love the idea of being soda & sugar-free, as long as sugar-free doesn’t mean “fake” sugar aka aspartame or one of its family members.
What a wonderful program! So glad to hear Maryland schools are supporting local farms and healthy food for the kiddies! We can only hope other states/localities will follow in their footsteps.
Dana
Dana – no kidding. I mean, I feel like I’m sorta “in the know” for this kind of thing, yet I had no clue about this program. Would be nice to get it out more to the masses…especially those that don’t already have a kid in public school (why I found out).