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While we may live in an
agricultural district, many local children are not able to relate their
daily lives to the farms that surround them. The “luxury” of going about our
day without wondering where our food comes from often makes us forget to
appreciate the journey from farm to fork. Understanding this journey is
important for all children, but especially for our children growing up in
America’s dairyland.
The Farm to School program aims to promote healthy eating habits in our
children by promoting and facilitating contact between school lunch programs
and local farmers. Although great programs like 4H and the Future Farmers of
America have long helped involved children learn about farm life and food
production, the Farm to Food program specializes in exposing all children to
local farm produce daily. In the Farm to Food program, contact between farms
and schools is established by two supportive AmeriCorps workers, one working
with the farmers and schools establishing the program while the other deals
with education outreach regarding healthy food and eating habits. The
AmeriCorps program is a national service program which provides tuition and
student-loan payments as well as a living allowance to participants in
exchange for up to two years of community service.
In Wisconsin, the Farm to School program is already up and running in nine
communities: New Richmond, Prairie du Chien, Spooner, Eau Claire, Balsam
Lake, Madison, Viroqua, Washburn and Waupaca. These areas are actively
taking responsibility for connecting children to local farms and providing
real-world education essential to young minds learning to connect their
daily lives to their surroundings. The Farm to School program encourages
going beyond the economic benefit of linking local farmers and school lunch
programs to adding farm tours for the children, starting garden projects and
offering cooking demonstrations. By teaching children not only where their
food comes from but also how it affects their bodies and lives, we can
instill a sense of community responsibility and self-awareness in future
generations.
If you are interested in featuring an AmeriCorps Farm to School program in
your area, or just want more information, you can contact Donna Gilson at
608-224-5130 and for more information you can also contact Lora Klenke at
608-224-5119 or Doug Wubben at 608-310-7833. As always my office is able to
assist interested constituents regarding these programs.
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