RHODE??ISLAND HONORS FOOD DAY, FARM TO SCHOOL MONTH
Pawtucket, RI ??? The RI Farm to??School Project is busy throughout the month of October, supporting special??events and??distributing resources to engage the state???s schools and??institutions in fresh, delicious and nutritious local eating. Governor Gina??Raimondo recently proclaimed October to be ???RI Farm to School Month.???
And the??most recent??USDA Farm to School Census??revealed that??Rhode Island schools rank number-one in the nation for district participation??in Farm to School programs! At the same time that obesity??and diabetes are occurring in our nation at record rates among children, Farm??to School activities??empower youth to think critically about the food they eat,??to learn about nearby farms and how food is produced, and to taste for??themselves that healthy, fresh foods are delicious.
Farm Fresh Rhode Island???s??Farm to School Project is a critical part of the non-profit???s strategy for??fostering a culture of healthy eating in the next generation of consumers.
As??larger local farms seek secure??wholesale markets, school meals represent a??viable outlet for Rhode Island farmers. Farm Fresh RI hopes that local food??celebrations generate enthusiasm among diners and demand by meal providers so??that RI Grown items continue to appear??regularly on cafeteria menus.
???Consistent purchases by??institutional customers such as Rhode Island???s school food service providers are??what our agricultural??producers need to assure their investments in expansion,?????notes Farm Fresh RI Co-Executive Director Sheri Griffin. ???These??sustainable??purchasing relationships are a win-win for everyone. Our students benefit by??enjoying the freshest and most??delicious food as our agricultural economy??thrives. This kind of activity fosters the development of a secure and sustainable??local??food system.???
Instagram art contest sponsored??by the RI Fruit Growers Association In celebration of both National??and Rhode Island Farm to School Month, as well as Farm Fresh RI???s ???Harvest of??the Month?????initiative featuring apples for October, the RI Farm to School Project??hosted an Instagram art contest sponsored by the RI Fruit??Growers Association.??Rhode Island middle school students (5th????? 8th??grade) were??invited to??submit artwork or photography depicting their enthusiasm for Farm to??School, Rhode Island agriculture and Rhode Island grown foods.
Two fifth-grade??students from??Reservoir Avenue School in Providence won the contest for their??class with colorful drawings of RI Grown fruits and vegetables. Teacher Maureen??Rooney???s class will enjoy??the first-place prize: apple picking while on a farm??fieldtrip Tuesday, October 25, hosted by Steere Orchard in Greenville, RI.
The??class will also celebrate the second prize, a??local foods classroom cooking??extravaganza. Students will use RI Grown foods to prepare brunch this Friday,??October 21.
Menu items include veggie frittatas featuring??various vegetables??from RI Mushroom Company and multiple RI farms, Baffoni Farms eggs, Schartner??Farms sweet potato hash, Steere Orchard apple crisp, and apple pie??smoothies using??Narragansett Creamery yogurt. Sodexo??Providence, the food service provider at Reservoir Avenue School, will hang the??winning artwork in the cafeteria???where??all students can view it while enjoying??a??Great RI Apple Crunch??on Food Day,??October 24. ??
The??Great RI Apple Crunch, October 24 The second annual??Great RI Apple Crunch??will be held at Pell??Elementary School in Newport, RI, on October 24th???Food Day. To celebrate, the??entire school population??(including over 850 students, plus faculty and staff!)??will gather at 2:00 pm on the school lawn to simultaneously bite into a??delicious apple grown locally at Steere Orchard.
The event is coordinated by the??school’s food service director, Cindy King of Chartwells, and Farm Fresh RI???s??Farm to School??team. Chartwells and Farm Fresh RI have worked together in??Newport and all East Bay school districts for over 10 years to??promote RI Grown??foods in school meals and to facilitate food education activities like??classroom nutrition lessons, gardening??programs and after-school cooking clubs.
This October, Chartwells is??participating in Farm Fresh RI’s ???Harvest of the Month.??? In exchange for??printed marketing materials??and support with local food celebrations, the??district has committed to purchasing RI Grown apples three times during the??month!
About??Food Day Food Day is a nationwide??movement to support healthy, affordable and sustainable food. Farm Fresh RI???s??Farm to School project??encourages school food purchasers to look to Rhode??Island growers first to source fresh, delicious and nutritious food for the??state???s school community.
Farm Fresh RI is excited to celebrate the sustainable??relationships between Rhode Island schools and??local growers on Food Day, and??throughout October during RI Farm to School Month and National Farm??to School Month!
About??Farm Fresh Rhode Island
Farm Fresh Rhode Island is a??501c3 non-profit organization founded in 2004. They are a??small organization with a big mission ?????growing a local food system that??values the environment, health and quality of life of area farmers and??eaters. Part incubator, part??activator, Farm Fresh RI offers a wide array??of access, education, and distribution programs aimed at building??healthier??communities, increasing access to fresh food, strengthening??community-based businesses, and improving the impact of food??production??and distribution on our environment. For more information, please??visit??