Presentation given by Stewart Eidel of Maryland Department of Education during the workshop titled "3 Places, 3 Approaches: Lessons from Farm to School Weeks in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC."
1. Maryland
24 school systems
1,450
1 450 schools
850,000 students
,
450,000 school lunches
6,000 school
foodservice workers
2010 All engaged in Farm to School
2. Maryland Home Grown
School Lunch Week
Maryland Legislation passed in 2008
Jane Lawton – Jamie Raskin....
Promote the sale of Maryland-grown products in
y g p
Maryland school meals, and
Connect Maryland Farmers to School Meals
Programs,
Programs and
Educate students about where their food comes
from, how it is produced, and the benefits of a
healthy diet
diet.
Conduct a Maryland Home Grown Lunch Week
September 22-26 2008
22-26,
September 14-18,2009
September 13-17, 2010
4. •Agriculture
•Health
ea t
•Education
•NGO
•Associations
•Extension
•Farmers
•Schools
•MIP’
MIP’s
Key Partners
5. Right people involved
•ask “how” – not “why”y
•know their systems
•are decision-makers
•can make something happen (with no $)
•Build relationships based on
p
collaboration & consensus
“Start with a small goal and people will
always exceed your expectations
always exceed your expectations”
16. Menu items
featuring Maryland grown products
f i l d d
• Pizza with local peppers,
onions and basil
• Hamburgers w/local cheese
• Mac and cheese with
Mac and cheese with
butternut squash
• Maryland veggie sub with
cheese
h
• Bison burgers
• Cucumber bean salad
Cucu be bea sa ad
• Zucchini tomato salad
• Roasted carrots
• Maryland veggie wrap
23. Maryland Home Grown Lunch Week
Examples
E l
Frederick County
Apples from Catoctin
Mountain Orchard
cantaloupe and watermelon.
Anne Arundel County
Arlington Echo Outdoor
Learning Center classes
cooked with local foods
chocolate zucchini cake
salsa,
squash
mac–n-cheese
mac n cheese
green beans.
24.
25. Maryland Home Grown Lunch Week
Examples
E l
Cecil County -
Cecilton Elementary
Asian pears,
cherry tomatoes
rainbow carrots
Calvert school
Watermelon
sweet corn
33. Challenges
• Limited processing
Limited processing
capacity
• Connecting local
Connecting local
growers to schools
• D li
Delivery to schools
h l
(1,400)
• Recalcitrance
g y
• Procurement rigidity
34. Solutions
Start Small
Pick low hanging
(local) fruit
Partner
Pa tne
Partner
Partner
35. Next Steps
Institutionalize the program
Seek funding/staffing
Identify key roadblocks
Identify resources
Set a strategic planning process
Identify evaluation opportunities