Farm-To-School Program Brings Local Food To Cafeteria Tables

By Kendra Bobowick

Apples, peaches, meat and vegetables found in some state schools do more than fortify the students sitting down to lunch or stopping to have a snack. Across the state more than 50 public schools and school districts are buying into the Connecticut Farm-To-School Program — a statewide impetus to use Connecticut-grown fresh fruits and vegetables in meals and snacks.

This project is twofold, according to the state Department of Agriculture’s (DOAg). Farm-To-Schools supports local farms and offers fresher, more nutritious produce.

Spearheading the program is Agricultural Marketing and Inspections Representative for DOAg, Jane Slupecki, who said, “Ask the kids. They can tell the difference between something grown in Connecticut and something that is shipped in.”

She also sees the support lent to the farming community.

“This is absolutely an incentive to support local agriculture,” Ms Slupecki said. She essentially pairs local farmers with school systems seeking a local source for their apples, pears, berries, beef, and other items.

“If a school is interested we try to find a farmer or wholesaler to supply [them],” she said. Schools’ needs differ, however.

“It’s about storage, convenience, seasonality,” Ms Slupecki explained. For example, some buildings may not have the room to store fresh fruits delivered by a farmer just once a week, and may prefer daily deliveries from wholesalers, she explained. Awareness and coordination with food service directors are Ms Slupecki’s means of moving local farmers’ goods into the school’s cupboards.

She said, “I get in touch with the food service directors and maybe remind them, ‘Hey, it’s apple time’ or ‘Hey, it’s peach season.’”

Ms Slupecki is persistent.

“My goal is to get one farmer and one school system [into the program] a week,” she said. Ms Slupecki has received many requests from the Fairfield County area, but none from Newtown.

So far, the town’s schools are not aligned with the Farm-To-School Program, but are attempting to learn more.

Newtown Superintendent Evan Pitkoff said, “We are looking into it. This has a potential tie-in to curriculum.” Mr Pitkoff has contacted Chartwells, the town’s food service company, to discuss the program.

Although he noted that students would witness first-hand where their food came from while learning about local agriculture, Mr Pitkoff also pointed to problems coordinating schools with the program.

“We’re somewhat limited because of the [large] size of our school system,” he said. Seasons also make a match with local farms difficult.

“Strawberries, for example, came into season when school was out,” he said. Mr Pitkoff has also been in contact with Dan Shields, the food service director for the Board of Education.

Mr Shields admires the program, and is poised to learn more about how it works.

“It’s a great program and I’m looking into it further and looking to attend workshops,” he said. “It would be great if we could wed this with the classroom.” He also would like to see students connect their food with local farmers.

Personally, Mr Shields said, “I would love to have fresh apples, that would be superior.”

He also sees wrinkles in plans to get Newtown signed up with Farm-To-School scheduling, however.

“It’s a lot of paperwork to figure out permits, I am locked into certain vendors, and it’s often hard to get someone who is not a vendor…”