Taste Test at the Sustainability Academy in Burlington. Photos courtesy Farm to School Network.
Vermont Celebrates Statewide Universal School Meals With Local, Fresh Foods As The Nation Observes Farm To School Month
Vermont Business Magazine As a result of COVID-19 and waivers granted at the federal level, for the first time ever, all Vermont schools are currently providing Universal School Meals to their students and will through the end of the 2020/21 school year. Universal Meals are a long sought after goal of the organizations who make up the state’s Farm to School Network. October is National Farm to School month and here in Vermont the commitment is stronger than ever to move the state to a permanent Universal School Meals platform incorporating the Farm to School model of healthy meals made with locally sourced ingredients.
The theme of this year’s National Farm to School month is “It takes a community to feed a community.” “Our school nutrition professionals have been working non-stop since March,” said Secretary of Education Dan French. “I am incredibly grateful for their efforts to ensure that all Vermont children have access to nutritious food both at school and at home.”
Vermont’s Agency of Education has ensured ongoing meal service through June 2021 so that all kids have access to nutritious meals whether they are remote learners or in a school building. These meals are available to all children age 18 and under regardless of their income or enrollment in school. To find out where to access meals, households can contact their local school, call 2-1-1, or visit fns.usda.gov/meals4kids.
Brattleboro School Nutrition Program packs them up (above) and then ships them out (below).
The Farm to School movement builds a local food and farm culture that nourishes children’s health, cultivates viable farms and builds vibrant communities. By providing meals to every student, principals can be talking to families about their student’s success, not their lunch debt, creating a more equitable and inclusive school culture. “We are committed to the vision of ensuring Universal School Meals statewide long after we move through the current Covid-19 crisis,” states Betsy Rosenbluth, Vermont FEED Project Director. “Well nourished students have fewer sick days, are able to focus in class and are more likely to develop healthy eating habits for benefits that last a lifetime. A UVM study also showed that many schools who moved to universal meals have been able to purchase more local food.”
Eighty-eight percent of Vermont schools have at least some farm to school integration and 87% purchase at least some local food from a Vermont producer. Farm to School is changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and early childhood settings, which results in positive regional economic impacts through new and expanded market opportunities for farms. As noted by Stephen Park of Full Belly Farm during his recent testimony in the Vermont State House at Farm to School Awareness Day, “We sell to schools in Chittenden and Addison counties. The income we make from selling to schools is an integral part of our business. It helps us extend our season.”
Vermont’s state and federal legislators have a longstanding reputation for championing these initiatives and helping to secure funding, support and infrastructure that make the programs a reality. As the former Chairman and longest-serving member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Senator Patrick Leahy has long been a leader of Farm to School initiatives by securing funding as well as introducing critical legislation that created the federal Farm to School grants program.
Senator Leahy is the lead sponsor of the Farm to School Act of 2019, a bipartisan bill that will increase funding for and expand the scope of the Farm to School program. “We see how children who eat fresh, nutritious food learn better and live healthier lives. We also see how our farmers thrive when they have access to local markets. It’s a smart investment that yields broad returns from healthier students to resilient farms, to stronger communities in Vermont and across the country,” notes Senator Leahy, “As stronger partnerships between schools and farms continue to form, I will continue to advocate for investment in Farm to School. I’m proud of how our state has led with a commitment to ensure every child has access to healthy, local food.”
Vermont has been a leader in the Farm to School movement, which over the past decade, has grown significantly across the United States, reaching millions of students in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and U.S. Territories. Last year Sen. Bernie Sanders, together with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) introduced the Universal School Meals Program Act to provide free breakfast, lunch, and supper to every student in the nation.
“In the richest country in the history of the world, it is simply outrageous that one in five children will go hungry this year,” said Senator Sanders. “We must enact Universal Meals to ensure that every child gets the nutrition they need to thrive, and no student has to worry about whether or not they can afford a meal when they go to school. I will also continue to support valuable farm to school programs that teach youth about healthy foods while supporting our local farmers.”
The Vermont Farm to School Network provides leadership, coordination, and advocacy to advance new and existing farm to school efforts in Vermont classrooms, cafeterias, and communities. Over 500 Vermont advocates, organizations, farms and businesses are leading the effort to achieve food system education, local food purchasing and access to nourishing meals in every school.
Vermont Farm to School Month - What Folks are Saying
Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) notes, “Local food systems are more important than ever during the coronavirus pandemic. Providing local and nutritious food is a win-win for farmers and students across Vermont. Thank you to the Vermont Farm to School network for facilitating this nutritious and delicious program for our children.”
A mouthful at VT FTS Celebration at Berlin Elementary in 2018.
Vermont’s Secretary of Agriculture Anson Tebbets has been an ardent supporter of Farm to School noting, “The pandemic has brought food and schools back into focus. Now more than ever it’s important we all remain committed to a strong, vibrant food system. The Vermont Farm to School Network will play a critical role in making sure Vermont’s community is feeding its community.”
Anore Horton, Executive Director of Hunger Free Vermont celebrated Farm to School by reflecting on how the COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on the path forward: “Universal school meals have been critical for keeping kids healthy and able to learn, slowing the spread of hunger, and providing markets for Vermont farmers during these incredibly stressful times . Let’s resolve to never go back to a school meal system rife with inefficiencies and inequities--the time for statewide universal, local school meals is now!”
“We see how kids who eat nutritious food learn better and live healthier lives, and how our farmers thrive when they have access to local markets... It’s a smart investment that yields broad returns from healthier students, to resilient farms, to stronger communities in Vermont and across the country,” notes U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, “As stronger partnerships between schools and farms continue to form, I will continue to advocate for investment in Farm to School."
“In the richest country in history of the world, it is simply outrageous that 1 in 5 children will go hungry this year,” said Senator Bernie Sanders. “I am proud to have proposed legislation to make sure that no student goes hungry at a public school and to eliminate the stigma surrounding children who receive free or reduced lunch.”
Harwood Unified Union School District
“Students are truly excited when math, science and global citizenship come alive as they dig in the dirt or mix herbs together. As we work to help students develop into thoughtful citizens, we believe it is important to help them understand where they live. Farm to school education helps us to form and maintain stronger connections within our community. These connections are especially integral to historically-marginalized students, as school-based interactions may provide important contacts and mentors and may expose students to new ideas and passions.” Jodie Stewart-Ruck Principal Shrewsbury Mountain School 2020
“Farm to School has helped us build a stronger, wider network with the many small producers in our region, and this brings significant benefits to the local agricultural economy. Although we are a small school, we are surrounded by relatively small producers. Cabot School is potentially the largest customer for some of them and a major source of income for others.” –Brock Miller Chef and Food Service Director Cabot School (2020)
“We see real benefits in the cafeteria from our efforts in local procurement. One of my core philosophies is this idea that we can control costs by focusing on quality food. The more sales we can have, the easier it's going to be for us to break even at the end of the year. Bringing local foods into our cafeteria is a really great way for me to increase participation. It's proven, I've gotten it to work.” –Jim Birmingham School Food Director Montpelier-Roxbury (2019)
“When I joined the agriculture program, little did I know how much of a difference it was going to make in my physical well-being and my mental well-being. I thought I had been eating healthy every single day, but I really wasn't. I had no idea what was going in my food: processing, refined sugars, and different things I couldn't even pronounce. Within weeks [of eating the produce we grew at school], it was getting easier and easier for me to walk up the hill, my mental health skyrocketed, I was happy, and I enjoyed what I was doing every day. I know exactly where my food comes from, and it makes me feel good. It makes me feel like I'm involved in it: I've touched it, I've planted it, and I know exactly where it's going.” Student Green Mountain Technical & Career Center, Lamoille North School District (2019).
Source: Burlington, VT - October, 2020. Farm to School Network