Farm to School Taskforce
July 11, 2 – 3:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Whole Foods Market- Hillcrest
NEXT MEETING: September 12, 2012, 12 – 2 p.m. at Stone Brewery
TOPIC/ISSUE
Welcome &
Introductions
DISCUSSION
ACTION
Attendees:
Districts: Greg Harms (Poway Unified School District), Lisa Miller (Escondido Union High School District), Ashley Cassat (San Marcos
Unified School District), Trieste Chiquete (Coronado Unified School District), Cindy Wallace (Alpine School District),
Growers: Phil Noble (Sage Mountain Farms), Robin Taylor (Suzie’s Farm), Janis Garcia (Go Green Agriculture)
Community Partners: Ron Troyano (Alchemy), Dwight Detter (Whole Foods Market), Parke Troutman (SD Hunger Coalition), Cheryl
Moder (Community Health Improvement Partners/ SD County Childhood Obesity Initiative), Jessica Capaldi (Network for a Healthy CA),
Suzanne Moras (Whole Foods Market), JuliAnna Arnett (Community Health Improvement Partners/ SD County Childhood Obesity
Initiative)
Farm to School Updates
JuliAnna led introductions.
San Marcos Unified School District (SMUSD)
SMUSD received a Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program (FFVP) grant that allowed them to serve produce 3xs a week outside of the meal
program in two pilot schools. The district used the money to help bring in rare, exotic, and local produce. The district worked with Bob
Knight at Old Grove Oranges, Inc. to source local products.
Contact Ashley Cassat with SMUSD at (760) 7521297 or ashley.cassat@smusd.org if interested in
learning more about local produce opportunities.
SMUSD has received another FFVP which will be expanded to all 18 of the districts sites. Ashley mentioned that the district plans to
continue working with Old Grove Oranges, Inc. but is interested in working with additional growers to source local products. SMUSD has
to spend 70% of its FFVP funds on produce.
Power Play Program
The Network for a Healthy CA published a Farm to School booklet available for nutrition education lessons with students of all ages.
Jessica is interested in local produce donations to assist with nutrition education lessons. The Farm to School booklets and Power Play
program is available to SD County schools serving low-income students.
Contact the Network for a Healthy CA if interested in
donating produce for student taste tests or acquiring
nutrition education materials for your district’s
classrooms at kmcdevitt@ucsd.edu.
Coronado Unified School District (CUSD)
CUSD is looking for a CSA fundraiser that accepts online payments and sends the district the portion of any donated sales in one check.
The portion of the funds that go back to the school district will be used for student nutrition education. Trieste mentioned that any CSA
items that aren’t picked up will be donated to school food services for use in the next day’s meal.
Contact Trieste Chiquete with CUSD at
Trieste.Chiquete@coronado.k12.ca.us if interested
in CSA opportunities with the district.
Poway Unified School District (PUSD)
Greg and Emily met with their distributor (American) a few months ago to begin identifying local products. They also met with Bob
Knight with Old Grove Oranges, Inc. They are prepping for the new Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act regulations, but plan to source local
this school year.
Escondido Union High School District (EUHSD)
EUHSD is continuing to source product from Sage Mountain Farm, Stehly Farms Organics, and Old Grove Oranges, Inc.
Farm to School Updates
(Contd.)
DISCUSSION: F2S
Strategic Plan
Misc.- CSA’s
The districts’ interest in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm raisers sparked a conversation on how to identify if CSA boxes are
from “local, small farms” and/or boxes of produce being put together by large distributors. Phil from Sage Mountain Farms is on a state
committee tasked with creating legislative language that differentiates CSA programs available from the various types of farms and
businesses. He stated it is likely that CSA programs operated by “small farms” will be able to keep the term CSA. (Phil and Robin with
Suzie’s Farm defined small farms for the purpose of this conversation as farms less than 200 acres.) Distributors such as Abundant
Harvest and Farm Fresh to You would be identified as BOPs (Boxes of Produce).
JuliAnna will work with Robin and Phil to create a
simple 1-pager on questions food service can ask to
ensure the products they are sourcing through CSAs,
etc. are from small, local, and/or organic farms. A
copy will be sent out to the group.
The F2S Taskforce continued to develop its strategic plan, which will be used to direct the Taskforce’s activities and communicate its
purpose and activities with the public.
The Taskforce finalized its vision, mission, and four of its goals. It was discussed that a policy goal may need to be added to support
promote unified efforts around farm to school, farm, and school meal policy.
Vision
San Diego County schoolchildren enjoy healthy foods that maximize seasonal and local products that bolster student achievement and
wellness.
Mission
The San Diego County Farm to School Taskforce (SDCF2ST) is a collaborative effort to increase consumption of local, healthful, seasonal
foods and to improve food literacy within schools.
Goals
1. Increase education and awareness about the connection between regional food systems and student health and well-being.
2. Create and promote opportunities for collaboration among farm to school stakeholders.
3. Increase implementation of farm to school programs in San Diego County school districts.
4. Promote the Taskforce and farm to school activities.
The process/purpose statement was discussed, but the Taskforce wasn’t able to decide yet whether it was needed. The group revised
the statement together. JuliAnna will make some slight edits and send it out to the group for discussion. They’ll decide whether to keep
it at the next meeting.
Draft Process/Purpose (at the end of the SDCF2ST meeting)
The F2S Taskforce will encourage collaboration, education, environmental change, program development, and outreach to increase the
amount of healthful and local foods available to San Diego County schools.
Discussion:
Farm to School Co-Chair
positions
Inviting food service
champions
Farm to School Co-Chairs
The Taskforce plans to establish voluntary co-chair positions. The co-chairs will help develop the bi-monthly meeting agendas, lead
taskforce meetings, lead the Taskforce toward achieving its yearly goals, and act as an advocate for the Taskforce and farm to school.
JuliAnna and Parke Troutman with the San Diego Hunger Coalition will provide technical assistance to the co-chairs and help with
meeting prep. The purpose of co-chairs is to help the Taskforce better leverage and utilize the expertise of the members in making sure
meetings and efforts meet the specific needs of school food services and farms in promoting farm to school.
Inviting Others to Table
JuliAnna encouraged Taskforce members, particularly districts, to invite others to the table. The Taskforce is a great opportunity to build
a team of supporters within your districts, especially parents or community members that want to see improvements in school meals,
but haven’t been able to find a role to support school food services in making positive changes. (For example, parents, volunteers, and
teachers might be able to help you with nutrition education, promoting cafeteria-classroom connections like gardening programs,
gaining PTA support, and bringing new resources to bear for schools and school food services.) The Taskforce can be used as an
opportunity to spread the message about all the good work you are doing in your respective districts.
JuliAnna and Parke will work together to draft a
policy-orientated goal to be discussed at the next
meeting.
JuliAnna will send an edited process/purpose
statement to the Taskforce for consideration and
edits. The Taskforce will vote on whether to keep
the statement at the next meeting.
EVERYONE continue to work on individual school
district farm to school program goals.
EVERYONE please carefully review the draft strategic
plan, particularly the goals and strategies, so that we
can finalize them at the next meeting. Please send
any additional thoughts, edits, changes to JuliAnna
at jarnett@sdchip.org prior to the next meeting.
School Food Service Professionals and Farmers
interested in the Farm to School Taskforce co-chair
positions please review the attached co-chair
guidelines and contact JuliAnna at
jarnett@sdchip.org.
Everyone invite parents, teachers, community
volunteers, and/or organizations that might be able
to team up with you to support Farm to School in
your district.