Fresh, Local Food for North Carolina Students

During the fall semester, Farmer Foodshare partnered with DINE (Durham’s Innovative Nutrition Education, a SNAP-Ed funded program) to offer after-school cooking classes with the families of students attending Bethesda, Spring Valley, and Holt Elementary Schools in Durham. Each session brought around 40 kids and parents together for an evening of food and fun. The theme? Breakfast for dinner. Because what kid doesn’t love turning tradition on its head?

The idea is simple (and maybe just a little bit devious). That’s because in one fun evening, we're able to:

• Create an opportunity for kids and their parents to cook together (and in turn, talk and eat together, deepening communication)
• Expose all involved to how good fresh, locally grown food can taste
• Share with the families the same sorts of nutrition education that kids are getting during Farmer Foodshare’s cafeteria taste tests

This last point is the “devious” bit. We’ve been doing cafeteria taste tests with students for a while now (to rave reviews from the kids!) But we know that for the most part, cafeteria-based education only reaches the kids. The stickers students get for trying a new food are one clue for parents that nutrition education is happening, but it can be hard for the kids to translate that knowledge into food purchases at home. More often, it’s parents who decide what sorts of foods the family will consume. Thus, getting parents involved in learning about fresh food is really critical. 

During the cooking classes this fall, the families broke out into groups, each preparing one of the featured recipes – things like a veggie scramble with tofu; sweet potato hash; a veggie and egg skillet; and apple parfaits that layered yogurt, apples, and granola. The evening concluded with a family-style meal and recipes that families can use to recreate each dish at home. 

The families told us that they learned a lot, and the kids have shared that they have made the recipes at home, so we’re already planning more sessions for the spring. This time we’re getting families moving with the theme of “family fitness night” where each station will feature a physical activity along with a healthy (and local) snack.  

Want to play along? We’ve included the fall recipes in the images for this report!

Fresh slices of watermelon. Or candy. Faced with a sweet choice, which will kids pick?

Watermelon!

We put the two to the test at a couple of the open houses that Durham, NC, elementary schools hosted this fall. Open houses are great opportunities for parents, students and teachers to meet each other and learn from the organizations and community partners that support the kids while they're at school. Unfortunately, they're usually laden with candy and other junk food.

This year, though, was different: Farmer Foodshare teamed up with our partners at DINE (Durham's Innovative Nutrition Education) to offer something healthy, fresh and local!

When folks arrived at Merrick-Moore Elementary and Club Boulevard Elementary, they were greeted with a "Watermelon Welcome." It was so fun to see kids lining up for fresh, North Carolina-grown watermelon from Whitfield Farm in Smithfield and bypassing the traditional bowls of candy and other processed food.

While parents and kids savored the juicy watermelon slices, we shared an update on how Farmer Foodshare is delivering fresh, North Carolina-grown produce to their school cafeterias each week, along with taste tests that encourage the kids to learn about and sample it. Ms. Sharon and Ms. Glenda -- the cafeteria managers at Merrick-Moore and Club Boulevard -- also used the opportunity to sign folks up for free and reduced lunch! That's important, because when more families participate in school meals, schools have more funding to spend on quality food.

Thanks for investing in programs that help kids thrive. Your support of Fresh, Local Food for North Carolina Students makes it possible to introduce kids to fresh food in all sorts of school settings -- experiences that can influence the choices they make as they grow.

This Giving Tuesday and throughout the 2019 giving season, we hope you'll continue to support innovative programs that make it possible for people throughout our communities to eat well and support local farmers.