First, watch this video:Lunch Encounters of the Third Kind
The Live Healthy Nevada County Food and Nutrition Action Committee is trying its best to introduce healthy, fresh foods to area schools. “We are very keen to get programs implemented throughout Nevada County,” said Aimee Retzler.
Live Healthy’s pilot program is with Hennessy Elementary in Grass Valley. By partnering with Riverhill Farm, the program is finding success with nutrition education, bringing more fruits and vegetables into the diet, and bringing the farm to school. Recently the summer school class took a fieldtrip to Riverhill. “It’s fantastic hands-on learning,” said Retzler. Children went from plot to plot, learning about how food is planted and grows. As they learned, they harvested, and at the end of the tour, they made a huge salad. So excited about the food they had helped pick, the class chose to eat it instead of the school lunches that had been packed.
There are many grassroots movements in area schools cropping up. Parents are interested in healthier lunches for their children, and farmers are enjoying sharing their knowledge and their foods with schools. “These farmers are adopting these schools, and these schools are adopting these farmers,” said Retzler. The longest running local program is at Grizzly Hill School in Nevada City. For close to four years, Grizzly Hill has been getting food from Mountain Bounty Farm. Meals are created in a real kitchen at the school. There’s a school garden, and the farm is only a few minutes away. A life lab incorporates a science and math curriculum, and interns from Mountain Bounty come into the school to talk about what they do.
“The grassroots movement is happening very organically … it’s big news for this county,” said Retzler. Live Healthy received the largest Community Fund grant from BriarPatch this year ($700), but they’re in need of a lot more funding. The local movement is gaining momentum. A larger, national movement is also growing. One Tray is pushing for funding from the USDA for Farm to School Programs.
According to One Tray, Farm to School programs provide the choice of healthier options in the cafeteria, causing more children to consume more fruits and vegetables each day. By providing healthier options, these programs can address childhood health problems like obesity and early onset Type 2 diabetes. Schools report a three to 16 percent increase in school meal participation when farm-fresh food is served, and it can actually cost the schools less than the highly-processed foods that are shipped across the country. Plus, it keeps dollars in the local economy. One Tray has found that for every dollar spent on local foods for schools, one to three dollars circulate locally.
To help out with the local movement, contact the Live Healthy Nevada County Food and Nutrition Action Committee. Then help with the national movement by signing the petition found at: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6137/t/7351/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=498.
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