By Michele Battiste | Director of Development
As you probably know by now, the Chef Ann Foundation launched the newly updated and expanded Lunch Box in mid-September. But we're far from done. We are continuing to work on resources, tools, and guides that will help schools transform their nutrition programs.
Garden-to-Cafeteria guides is our next project. The school garden movement is burgeoning, and school kids all around the country are getting their hands dirty digging for carrots, picking lettuce, and testing the ripeness of tomatoes. But some of those gardens flounder once the initiating parents move on after their children graduate. And many of the students never get a chance to taste the fruits of their labor because the produce isn't incorporated into a school-wide tasting program.
Gardens can thrive year after year when schools incorporate them into their classroom curriculum, and classrooms take a lead role in planting and caring for the garden as the students learn. And every student can benefit from the fresh fruits, vegetables,and herbs if a school incorporates a garden-to-cafeteria program. But where to start?
Be sure to keep an eye out for the Lunch Box's upcoming School Garden resources that will include teacher-developed classroom curriculum and a step-by-step guide to bringing garden produce into the cafeteria for tastings and samplings and other experiential learning opportunities.
Thanks to your support, along with GlobalGiving's and Jack Johnson's matching gifts, we raised $6,407 to help schools sustain thriving school gardens that are integral to nutrition education and student learning. Thank you!
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