Whole Story

Anupama Joshi is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the National Farm to School Network, who loves to cook, especially with her 9-year old son. She’s also a friend of Whole Kids Foundation and we’re happy to support her efforts.

Your kitchen is only part of your child’s food story: By the time they graduate high school, many kids have eaten over 4,000 meals in their school cafeterias! That’s 4,000 opportunities to make a real connection with food and the farmers producing it and to learn about healthy food choices.   

Farm to School programs across the country are making the most of these opportunities, providing more than 5.7 million students access to locally produced foods in the cafeteria and hands-on nutrition education activities in classrooms and school gardens. This October we celebrate their success with National Farm to School Month!

Farm to School Month is designed to create a buzz around the more than 12,500 participating schools so that others can get inspired and get a taste of Farm to School activities. There’s plenty to be excited about! Farm to School is a win-win for everyone involved: students, schools, teachers, food service workers, parents, community members, and farmers. 

How can you get involved? 

• Reach out to the experts at the National Farm to School Network, a non-profit that provides leadership and vision for the Farm to School approach. You can connect directly with your State Farm to School Lead for additional resources, local leads and guidance.
• Take the Farm to School Counts Pledge and plan an activity at your school during the month of October — maybe a taste test of local apples in the cafeteria, a farm fieldtrip or a cooking demonstration for parents. You could even host a special local harvest meal for the school community — the possibilities are endless! 

Happy Farm to School Month! Will you be celebrating? Let me know how in the comments below.