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In mid-October, the National Farm to School Network became a project of the Tides Center, the nation's largest fiscal sponsor based in San Francisco. The move to the Tides Center will enable us to further expand and strengthen our work and mission. If you have questions about this transition or the Tides Center, feel free to contact our executive director & co-founder, Anupama Joshi. NFSN was founded in 2007 as a project of two nonprofit organizations - the Community Food Security Coalitionand the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College. Under their guidance and leadership, the organization blossomed and grew significantly in scope and operations leading our founders and advisors to plan for the next stage of NFSN's development as a more independent organization.
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2012 National Farm to Cafeteria Conference
Mark your calendars: The National Farm to School Network will host the 6th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Burlington, VT the first week of August, 2012. Exact dates and registration information will be available soon.
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Farm to School Month
The very first National Farm to School Month was a smashing success. By our best estimates, over 400 events large and small were held across the country in October, gaining the attention of media and local and national policy makers! We designed a website that was used to disseminate Farm to School Month resources and secured the support of 50 partner organizations to spread our message to as many communities as possible. With the support of our partner, Annie's Root 4 Kids, we also held the first National Farm to School Month Poster Contest. We received over 700 entries from which we selected one winner from each of three age groups. The winners received a cash prize of $1,000 for their school's Farm to School program and a prize pack from Annie's Root 4 Kids valued at $150. The winning posters will be used to promote Farm to School Month 2012. The winners are: | | Caroline Roeder of Greenfield Elementary in Fairfield, MT |
 | | Miya McLaughlin of Stanwood Middle School in Stanwood, WA |
 | | Phynesse Graham of Cab Calloway School of the Arts in Wilmington, DE |
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Staff Updates
2011 has been full of exciting changes for our staff. This month we are delighted to welcome two new staff members: Mary Stein, associate director, and Hope Wilson, program manager. Mary previously served as the Montana Farm to School State Lead for NFSN and has many years of experience in sustainable food systems and nutrition through her work with Montana State University and the Team Nutrition Program. Hope has a long history with Farm to School as well, having previously worked with the Network for a Healthy California and most recently with the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Earlier this year we said goodbye to our communications director, Debra Eschmeyer, who now serves as program manager of FoodCorps, an organization she co-founded that places motivated young leaders in limited-resource communities for a year of public service. In August, CFSC associate policy director, Megan Lott, accepted a new position at the Pew Charitable Trusts where she will continue her work on healthy school food policies.
Please join us in welcoming Mary and Hope and wishing Debra and Megan all the best in their new positions!
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Will you donate today to help us expand our reach? Your contribution will help us increase access to local, healthy foods and garden-based education in our schools. Together we are creating Farm to School programs that are an essential component of strong and just local and regional food systems, and we are ensuring the health of school children, farms, communities, the environment and the economy.
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The Lunch Box: Healthy Tools to Help All Schools
December 13, 12 CST
Chef Ann Cooper will introduce her Foundation's website and it's recent improvements so that attendees will have an insider's scoop on how to make the most of this free and valuable resource. Whether you are a parent, caregiver, school employee or an advocate for improving school food this webinar will speak to you and help support your farm to school efforts. |
Farm to School and Farm-Based Education
January 10, 12 CST
How can Farm-Based Education support the work of Farm to School programs? What should you keep in mind when you are working with students on a farm? How can teachers and farm-based educators connect to support education efforts? You'll hear tips about making these connections and you'll leave with ideas for developing farm-based education opportunities that support student learning. This webinar is co-sponsored by the Farm-Based Education Association.
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In the News
How the Food Industry Eats Your Kid's Lunch
An opinion piece from The New York Times: "An increasingly cozy alliance between companies that manufacture processed foods and companies that serve the meals is making students - a captive market - fat and sick while pulling in hundreds of millions of dollars in profits."
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The 10 most impressive Farm to School programs
While fresh, local food is growing in popularity among consumers, it's also growing in school systems. Read about 10 of the best programs.
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Resources
Farm to School Toolkit
Created by the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition in Nebraska, this toolkit its designed to serve as your one-stop resource to start a program or maintain one. You will find background information, tools, resources and contacts to help you along the path as you bring Farm to School to life in your area! |
Model School Board Resolution
Public Health Law and Policy's model resolution is designed
so that local communities can tailor it to meet their needs.
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