October is National Farm to School Month, and we are so excited about this year’s theme, Creating Thriving Communities: Local Food in Every School. While we love everything about farm to school, we are especially excited to highlight the process and impacts of local procurement in schools and the farmers and school nutrition staff that make it all possible.
The National Farm to School Network (NFSN) is a national non-profit and advocacy organization dedicated to expanding farm to school in the United States by helping to create meaningful connections between farmers and students across the country. Since 2007, NFSN has been an outspoken advocate for improving child nutrition and strengthening local food systems, consistently fighting for policies that help bolster regional connections and farm to school procurement programs. Through educational activities, in-school taste tests, and school gardening programs, NFSN also helps to raise awareness among students about the people and places that take part in growing their food, ultimately fostering deeper connections between children and the food they eat.
NFSN started farm to school month in 2011 to celebrate all the different farm to school efforts that take place across the country every day. The benefits of farm to school simply can’t be overstated. School gardens and farm field trips provide hands-on opportunities for children to explore agricultural processes and learn from local farmers. Taste tests in school cafeterias and activities that introduce food and nutrition create an environment where learning about farm to school is fun. Schools making consistent purchases from within the local food system help reinforce our region’s economy, creating new jobs and keeping existing ones local.
This October, the Feed Our Future team encourages you to take a moment and think about ways you can celebrate farm to school this month:
- Have you ever thought about what local food means to you? Tell someone! We asked this question and will be highlighting the answers on our social media all month long.
- Are you hosting a Halloween party later this month? Consider buying local apples for your apple bobbing station!
- Spend some time planning out your home garden for next year. Which delicious Ohio fruits and veggies will you choose to grow?
- Do you have a farm stand in your area? Find a nutritious and delicious item that’s local to you and help support your surrounding area’s food system!
Is it important to you that the children in your region, maybe even your own children, have access to fresh, nutritious food? Do you hope that when you go to the grocery store, the food you buy is fresh and didn’t have to travel too long or far to get there? Would it make you happy to know that the food you eat helps to support another person just like you right around the corner?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, congratulations! You too can support local food systems and help to create your own thriving communities! This Farm to School Month, consider taking the first step into local food. No matter what you do, just get started! The best first step into supporting local food systems is whatever first step you can take.