The 14th annual Northeast Farm to School Institute was held at Shelburne Farms, on the beautiful shores of Lake Champlain, from June 25-27.  For the first time in Southeastern Vermont, 2 district-wide teams attended the Institute, along with 9 other teams from throughout the Northeastern region, including Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. The three-day Institute launches a year-long program, providing participating teams with coaching, technical expertise, professional development, and other resources. 

Food Connects FTS Coach Sheila Humphreys coached a team from Windham Southeast Supervisory Union and FTS Program Manager Kris Nelson coached the West River Modified Union Education District team. The district teams represented multiple schools, including teachers, school board members, administrators, garden coordinators, school nurses, food service managers, and behavioral social workers. Over the course of three days, each team collaboratively crafted a values statement and set goals for their Farm to School action plan. 

Both teams focused on community empowerment through education and supporting wellness via local, nourishing foods. Team goals include increasing local food purchasing in meal programs to 15% to qualify for the Local Foods Incentive Grant program, enhancing the cafeteria experience through innovative programs like Harvest of the Month Taste Tests, and developing a continuity of Farm to School learning objectives spanning pre-K to 12th grade. Back home, having down this groundwork, each district team will expand to include additional members to refine and carry out the work. 

In addition to precious time away from the everyday structure of the school day to do some focused planning around FTS goals, the institute is also an opportunity to be inspired by others who are making a difference in Farm, Food, and Nutrition education. Participants got to choose workshops and learning journeys ranging from FTS basics like “Planning a School Garden,” led by Cedar Schiewetz of the Vermont Garden Network to “Recipes for Resilience,” by TEDx speaker, Food Activist, and Chef Liesha McKinley-Barnett of the Edible Schoolyard Project in Berkeley and Stockton, California. FTS coach Sheila Humphreys co-led a workshop with Jen Trapani, Food Science Coordinator of the Burlington School District, titled, “The Roots of Inclusive Classroom Cooking: Making Harvest of the Month Accessible and Engaging to All.” Keynote speakers included veteran Vermont Independent Food Service Directors Laura LaVacca from the Burlington School District and Kathy Alexander from Mount Abraham & Addison Northwest School Districts leading participants in a homemade board game designed to pull back the curtain on school food, and an inspiring storytelling keynote by Ferene Paris Meyer of All Heart Inspiration who reminded us that, “We all have stories worth sharing, so what’s yours?”

One of the best parts of the institute is the connections that participants make outside of workshop and action planning time, when they are able to relax together and get to know each other while enjoying the English gardens and beautiful sunsets over the lake on the lawn in front of the historic Inn at Shelburne Farms. These casual conversations are the building blocks that make a strong team that is resilient and able to meet challenges during the busy school year.

The meals are always a highlight at the institute as well, featuring recipes from the New School Cuisine Cookbook, which was created by Vermont School Nutrition Professionals for Vermont School Nutrition Professionals and includes 78 kid-tested and approved recipes that meet the new USDA dietary guidelines and feature local, seasonal foods. This year we enjoyed several delicious dishes including Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad, Root Vegetable Hash, Tumeric Cauliflower Salad, and Pumpkin Squares. There was also a sweet treat when the Sisters of Anarchy Ice Cream Truck set up in the courtyard after dinner.

As the Institute was wrapping up, our colleagues from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets announced that all Vermont teams attending the Institute in 2024-2025 would receive a $4,000 grant to help them implement the goals from their action plans. 

We’re so grateful to the State of Vermont for their strong support of Farm to School and we can’t wait to see how the work of these 2 dynamic district-wide teams in Southeastern Vermont unfolds this year!