Extension > Family > Farm to School > Minnesota Toolkit for School Foodservice > Promoting food > Education and Outreach
Education and Outreach
Minnesota schools are doing some amazing things to engage their students and the community in Farm to School activities. Below is just a sampling from schools across the state, if you have an educational or outreach activity that you’d like to share, please contact us!
Pine Point School
Pine Point School students, in conjunction with the 21st century after-school program, are learning about local food systems. They have taken trips to visit a wild rice mill, apple orchard and heritage turkey farm learning about where each of these foods comes from and visiting with the growers. The fourth grade class spent a week focusing on mandaamin (corn). In the classroom they wrote haiku poems and learned about seasonal food, while outside the classroom they went to help harvest native Bear Island Flint corn and learn its significance for Ojibwe people. Students were later taught how to braid the corn to properly dry it for storage. In winter, Pine Point began traditional cooking classes with community members and decorated the school cafeteria with Ojibwe art and vocabulary. It is Pine Point’s hope that relocalizing our food system and reintroducing traditional foods will create not only healthier children, but a healthier community. Read more about Pine Point’s 2009 Farm to School events.
Orono Public Schools
Kris Diller, Child Nutrition Supervisor of Orono Public Schools has been purchasing local apples at the nearby orchard for as long as she can remember. Kris also serves a local harvest veggie in the fall, aptly named to offer flexibility in sourcing the best of the season. It is Orono’s environmental stewardship that sets this suburban district apart from others. Every food item that is packaged by the district from salads to deli sandwiches - is packaged in a completely compostable container. What about coffee cups, straws, utensils, sanitation liners? All compostable.
Kris found that there was a slight increase in the cost of some of these products, but the real cost savings has come from switching from Styrofoam trays and bowls to washable trays and bowls – saving money on waste pick-up fees. A ton of trash costs the district three times more to pick-up than a ton of organics. Read more about Orono’s waste recycling program.
Ridgeway Community School
Ridgeway Community School created a poster titled, “Why We Choose Food from Farmers We Know” to promote their Farm to School efforts and has several outreach tips they use with their students, parents and community:
- Conduct a morning meeting of student body to inform them of the local food being serving.
- Put an announcement in the school newsletter. For example, take a look at the short article titled, “Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, & Real Food”
- On the monthly menu make note of Farm to School foods. For example: Food Grown Sustainably by Farmers We Know!
- Place a bulletin board in a prominent location with photos and captions.
- Use a display board for community events/conferences/etc.
- At school programs make note of your Farm to School initiative to reach families and increase their awareness of your good work.
- Use radio and print media (agriculture, local papers) – they love to pick up Farm to School stories.
- Prepare a presentation and update for the school board.
- Informal conversations – well-planted, constantly, with any and everyone!
Sanford Elementary of Montevideo Public Schools
Sanford Elementary hosted the first Farm to School event with a lively assembly, exploration table, and tomato tasting. The event was a model for partnerships as school and foodservice staff worked alongside farmers, an extension educator, a high school student and a parent volunteer. According to Lynn Mader, "this event was a terrific group effort." At the end of the day, red tomatoes won out over yellow. The real winners, however, were the students, some of whom bit into juicy Minnesota grown tomatoes for the first time. Read more
Wadena Deer Creek Elementary
As part of the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, Wadena Deer Creek Elementary invited Minnesota Grown Spokesperson and Minnesota Olympian to connect with students about the benefits of eating locally grown fruits and vegetables and staying active. Read more and watch this video.
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