PUTNEY — Putney Central School is one of 11 Vermont schools selected recently to join the 2014-2015 Vermont Food Farm to School Institute, offered by Vermont Food Education Every Day (VT FEED).
The Institute is a year-long learning opportunity that helps schools engage students in food, farm, and nutrition education and serve healthful, local school lunches.
The Institute has helped more than 37 Vermont teams develop vibrant Farm to School programs since 2010. The Vermont Farm to School Institute is offered free to schools with the support of the Vermont Community Foundation's Food and Farm Initiative and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets.
Vermont's Farm to School programs notes it leads the nation with its innovative “Three Cs” model, creating links among classrooms, cafeterias, and the community.
“The Farm to School Institute is unique in requiring participating teams to include teachers, nutrition staff, administrators and community members, ensuring broad-based support and building programs that include all areas of the school in a collaborative approach to school food change,” the organization said in its announcement.
Beginning with a three-day intensive workshop at Shelburne Farms from June 25-27, participating teams acquired tools and expertise to conduct Farm to School activities inside and outside of the classroom. School teams learned about elements of successful Farm to School programs, created action plans for their schools, and networked with peers and other schools.
Each school team worked with an experienced mentor to create and carry out a Farm to School action plan that reflects local interests and priorities.
Farm to School activities might include hands-on experiences growing and cooking food; opportunities to meet and learn from local farmers; opportunities to integrate agriculture and nutrition into science, literacy, and math lessons; strategies to increase nutritious and seasonal foods in school cafeterias; and events or programs that involve the community in growing and enjoying healthful, local foods.
Through the work of VT FEED and regional Farm to School organizations, 55 percent of all Vermont schools now have Farm to School programs, which help connect students with local farms and increase consumption of local foods: a cornerstone of Vermont's Farm to Plate movement.
VT FEED notes Vermont schools serve approximately 70,000 meals daily, and says changing the way we feed children in school directly affects the health and well being of Vermont's children and families.
According to a 2010 Shelburne Farms report to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Vermont schools with Farm to School programs claim twice the national average in vegetable consumption, show increased school lunch participation by students and staff, and enjoy an increased variety of vegetables served with school lunch.