Last month, Food Connects gathered principals, superintendents, administrative assistants, and food service directors to celebrate the 2021-2022 Farm to School year in Southern Vermont and look forward to the upcoming school year!

The event included food from The Porch, and former and current Food Connects board members were there to greet guests. Farm to School sponsor Members 1st Credit Union also attended as sponsors of the event itself!

It was a wonderful afternoon, starting with an opportunity for folks to mingle and connect.

Our Farm to School team took the opportunity to thank school staff for their incredible hard work this past year.

“It takes a tremendous amount of work, and many years, to create the amazing schools and learning communities we have in our region,” Sadie Hunter, Farm to School Program Manager at Food Connects, said, “you all have remained consistent in your efforts to give these children the safe, educational space that they deserve.”

The team also reflected on Farm to School’s importance in our region and beyond.

“I've seen the central role Farm to School programming plays in building a healthy learning community, and I think that this pandemic has made this kind of hands-on, outdoor, trauma-informed education even more necessary,” said Sadie.

Our Institutional Sales Associate, Tom Brewton, took the opportunity to lift up our food service directors.

“From navigating national supply chain shortages in our food systems to thinking outside the box to ensure that our children get fed nutritious meals every day, you all have addressed each of these challenges head-on,” he told the group. “Despite all that is on your plate, you all still take the time to prioritize sourcing local, nutritionally dense products for your students. You all do the work and go truly above and beyond to ensure that our children are nourished.”

Sheila Humphreys, Farm to School Coordinator at Food Connects, shared, “Farm to School has really blossomed in Windham Southeast Supervisory Union these past few years, and I am so proud of the amazing work that’s happening at each of our schools.”

“It’s been a true pleasure working with schools in Windham Central and Windham Northeast Districts this year. One of the things I’ve learned in this position is how different Farm to School can look at different schools and that there is definitely no one size fits all program,” said Jenny Kessler, Farm to School Coordinator at Food Connects.

The afternoon ended with an opportunity to reflect. The Farm to School team asked attendees to break out into groups to discuss three questions to carry into the 2022-2023 school year.