Bringing Families Together Around the Dinner Table

A new program has cropped up in Townshend serving families in the West River Education District. Lead by RiseVT, Dinner Together provides meal kits to families to encourage healthy eating and more time spent together as a family. The recipes are simple, the kits have everything you need, and it’s available to everyone—no registration needed!  

From 2 to 4 PM on the last Friday of the month, swing by the West Townshend Country Store to pick up three different meal kits. We’ve tested many of the recipes ourselves here at Food Connects and can confirm that they’re incredibly simple and also easily adaptable, whether you want to spice things up or clear out a few extra ingredients from your kitchen. This makes the kits a great opportunity to get kids involved in the cooking process as well. 

“We eat everything so there are no limits. Having all the ingredients is the best part … Simple is better as we complete these together, generally. My 10 year old handled all of the January recipes on her own.” - West River Education District Parent

Most supplies for the program come from the Townshend Food Shelf and the VT Foodbank. Additional funding from RiseVT means local ingredients from the Food Connects Food Hub are also included every month. 

Swing by the West Townshend Country Store from 2 to 4 PM this March 26th to pick up some meal kits and give it a try! Check out this flyer for more info.

What’s Been Cooking in 2020

Who would have guessed 2020 would end with sweet potatoes roasting over an open fire? 

Cooking and nutrition education are bright spots for schools across the region as teachers adapt and evolve to a constantly changing situation—truly embodying resiliency (a contender for 2020 Word of the Year). This story of resilience stands as a testament to the fundamental role Farm to School programming plays in today’s general curriculum—cooking kept students hands-on during remote learning and has flourished during the return to (increasingly outdoor) classrooms.

Westminster Grow Pack.

Last spring, schools closed swiftly—winter boots left in cubbies and desks full of supplies. Teachers had difficulties getting into their classrooms to grab materials for their lessons. Despite these challenges, cooking and gardening education continued to enliven the curriculum. Sarah Rosow (Guilford Central School) and Mandy Walsh (Westminster Center School) got grow kits out to students via pick up locations and bus deliveries. These kits enabled students to get their hands dirty in the “garden”, even if they lived in an apartment.  At Riverside Middle School, STEAM teacher Becca Osbourne tried her hand at virtual cooking lessons, which her 6th graders particularly took to. 

A crucial part of cooking education takes place long before students begin chopping veggies. Farm to School programming focuses on cycles—for food, the cycle is most powerful when students have a hand in each part of the process, from seed to plate (or Seed2Tray when talking about food in the West River Education District). Recognizing this, school garden coordinators worked hard last spring to ensure gardens were planted—filled with intentions of a bountiful fall and a return to normalcy. 

River Gallery Arts visits Oak Grove School.

Food Connects hosted regional calls for coordinators to share tips and tricks and provide connection during an otherwise distanced season. Thanks to these collective efforts, gardens thrived this past summer. Food Connects Garden Coordinator, Tara Gordon, maintained six of the gardens in Windham Southeast Supervisory Union and we piloted free family art activities thanks to support from RiseVT and three local arts organizations—River Gallery School of Art, Insight Photography, and the Human Art of Play. The culmination of these regional efforts were gardens readily awaiting the return of students if public safety would allow.

Gardening at Winston Prouty.

Food Connects helped new cooking programs get started this school year. The Early Learning Center at Winston Prouty attended the New England Farm to School Institute this past summer with Food Connects FTS Coordinator, Sheila Humphreys, as their coach. With an established school garden, the team has laid a foundation for the next level of Farm to School work, including incorporating local foods onto their menu, Harvest of the Month Taste tests, and building a strong committee to carry the work forward. Through a RiseVT grant received by Food Connects, the team purchased materials for a cooking cart. Not only does the team intend to do more cooking with students, but they’re excited to start processing school-grown produce into homemade baby food and snacks.

A staggered reopening of schools this fall came with its own set of challenges. What we’ve seen from our member schools is that those that leaned the furthest into outdoor education have seen the most success—ie. engaged students, happy teachers, and creative lessons. Food Connects helped schools keep cooking on the menu through specific guidance; stepping into an otherwise empty space, our Cooking with Students during COVID-19 guidelines provided a framework for educators and administrators to confidently establish safe practices around their cooking lessons. And we’ve seen those cooking lessons flourish—whether it be pumpkin pancakes in Guilford, pizzas at Green Street, or fire-roasted sweet potatoes at Academy.

Cooking with students at Academy School.

At Academy School, garden coordinator Kathy Cassin took advantage of a warm fall and large school forest to cook with students. Not only did students cook roasted sweet potatoes in November but Kathy also prepared sweet potato cookies and hummus for students to try. Students at Academy School can expect to see even more outdoor cooking in 2021 thanks to the addition of multiple fire rings purchased through grant funding Food Connects helped secure. These new fire rings will enable more students to be cooking at the same time while also making it safer for students. 

Not only has cooking and nutrition education found a way to continue throughout 2020—but the garden and outdoor kitchen (firepit) have become some of the most popular places to be at school. Most importantly, the sounds of growing taste buds have returned—“I don’t usually like soup, but this is pretty good.”

Summer Garden Reflections 2020

Despite the uncertainty around school this past spring, and even now in the fall, Food Connects Summer Garden Coordinator, Tara Gordon, spent her summer caring for six elementary school gardens in the Windham Southeast School District (WSSD) and welcomed students and families throughout the season. Participating schools were Guilford, Dummerston, Oak Grove, Green Street, Academy, and Vernon. New this year, Food Connects and RiseVT partnered with three local arts organizations to provide free programming alongside the open garden hours. Insight Photography, River Gallery School of Art, and the Human Art of Play were fantastic partners and added a new element of fun to the program! 

This summer garden program was made possible in part thanks to a grant from RiseVT.

Things looked a little different this year—masks, social distancing, and pre-registrations all ensured that students and families stayed safe. Nationwide, there was an uptick in gardeners and a surge in interest in outdoor ed. Our community was lucky enough to have strong garden programs already thriving before the pandemic arrived. This allowed families to stay connected to schools and get outside even after school buildings closed in March. 

As always, the gardens were bountiful and there was plenty of produce for participants to take home at the end of each open garden session. 

Thanks to supplies from Insight Photography, students made cyanotypes. During this activity, students gathered materials from the garden and placed them on light-sensitive paper. The shadow that was then created turned into beautiful art for the students to take home.

Along with Lauren from the River Gallery School of Art, students explored different mediums—such as watercolors—using the garden as their natural subject. 

And Erin from the Human Art of Play got kids moving through circus yoga. Kids (and adults!) channeled their inner sunflower, grew their bodies like vines, and posed like grasshoppers. 

Throughout it all, students were finding new plants and discovering wonder in their school’s gardens. We saw lots of incoming kindergarteners, excited to check out their new school before the first day, and families enjoying the beautiful summer weather. 

Thanks to Tara’s diligent work throughout the season, each school has returned to a beautiful garden—ready for students to harvest fall veggies, incorporate into a science lesson, or just use as a quiet space to read. 

We’re thankful to all of the families who participated, our arts partners, and school administrators who remained flexible as we developed new protocols.

We’d love to hear your stories from the garden this summer or ideas for improvements for next year. Shoot us an email at farmtoschool@foodconnects.org. 

Amplify Grant Funds Early Childhood Educators to Attend Farm to School Conference

A recent partnership between Food Connects and RiseVT, the primary prevention program of OneCare Vermont, increases accessibility for Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) to attend the upcoming our Farm to School Conference. Funding through RiseVT’s Amplify Grant has made it possible for 15 ECEs to attend Food Connects’ Conference on April 8 at no cost.

“Food Connects provides a wide array of support services to area elementary and high schools. These include meeting facilitation, local purchasing and procurement support in cafeterias, grant writing support, and curriculum development,” says Farm to School Program Manager, Conor Floyd. “Food Connects’ work encourages healthier lifestyles for students by getting kids outside, growing their own food, and improving the quality of food served in cafeterias.”

 As the Farm to Early Childhood Education movement grows nationwide, we are excited to partner with local child care centers to promote health, wellness, and high-quality educational opportunities. The scholarships provided through the Amplify Grant will help create a cohort of energized Farm to School champions at the early childhood level. These educators will bring their learning from the conference back to their respective organizations, incorporating Farm to School programming in early education settings and developing students' healthy lifestyle habits from an earlier age.

ECEs working with students from birth to pre-K in the towns of Brattleboro, Guilford, Vernon, Newfane, and Townshend are eligible for the scholarship and encouraged to apply. The scholarship application deadline is February 18 with applicant notifications going out on February 21. Registration for the conference closes on March 18. 

Interested applicants can learn more about the conference at foodconnects.org/farm-to-school-conference or directly apply for the scholarship at bit.ly/ftsscholarship. Questions about the scholarship or conference can be directed to Conor at conor@foodconnects.org.

Reflection: Summer 2019 Garden Program

Green Street School Garden Coordinator, Tara Gordon, spent her summer working for Food Connects to care for school gardens at 5 area elementary schools in the towns of Brattleboro, Guilford, and Vernon. This summer garden program was made possible in part thanks to a grant from Rise Vermont. Here are a few highlights from Tara’s summer in the gardens:

Teachers from Academy School met with Tara in the spring to orient her to the garden and show her some of the crops they were growing. This included popcorn seedlings donated by Wild Carrot Farm that needed to be hand-pollinated. Throughout the summer, Tara connected with families on the playground while she was working in the garden. School staff helped with watering and harvesting. Funding for school gardens and the supplies needed can be difficult, but Tara reached out to the Brattleboro community and they did not disappoint. She was able to get a bale of straw donated for mulching, needed to combat the weeds and help the garden flourish. Teachers and students are looking forward to harvesting from their beautifully tended garden this fall!

Green Street School had families and neighbors who helped in the garden throughout the summer. The harvest was bountiful over the summer and extra produce was shared with school staff and neighbors. Tara was able to process and save some produce for school year classroom activities as well. Green Street has an ongoing relationship with Yalla Vermont growing and harvesting cilantro, parsley, and calendula for the Yalla kitchen. Because of Tara’s and the Green Street School community’s work this project continued throughout the summer. Tara also tended heirloom peas as part of a project in collaboration with the Brattleboro Words Project. These peas are an early variety which was grown in Brattleboro in the late 1700’s, and seeds from this year’s harvest will be available next year through a seed saving project in collaboration with Brooks Memorial Library!

Guilford Central School has well-established gardens and a great core group of active families who came to the garden throughout the summer to garden and harvest with Tara. Surplus produce from the school garden was brought to the Guilford General Store a couple of times and the school garden was highlighted on the General Store’s menu! Guilford Central School’s Farm to School Coordinator, Sarah Rosow, was a great partner for Tara, with many garden systems already in place, including a well organized tool shed and a clear plan for summer planting.  In addition to her work in the garden, Tara was also able to process some calendula and basil for Sarah to use this fall with her students.

Oak Grove School invited Tara to work in the garden with some classes in the spring to seed and plant, and learn about weeds. The Brattleboro Town School District summer school was based at Oak Grove this year, which allowed Tara to work with students and teachers regularly in the summer. Neighbors also showed support for the garden—in particular, a nice neighbor just across the street donated a bale of hay for mulch. The bulk of the food grown in Oak Grove’s garden will be harvested by students this fall and each class will cook a dish for the annual harvest dinner in October.

At Vernon Elementary School, the river bed soil is very rich and the plants flourished. The primary goal for the garden in Vernon this year was to provide families a space to grow and harvest over the summer, and crops were planted with summer harvesting in mind. Several families worked with Tara throughout the summer, and extra produce was brought to the Vernon pool to share with the community. Next year, this group hopes to have a Vernon School Garden Booth at their 4th of July town festival.

Community building was an essential of Tara’s work this summer. Tara created Facebook groups for each school garden as a tool to reach parents during the summer, and she made colorful flyers to spread the word about her weekly school garden parties.  She also made connections with Edible Brattleboro, a local college student, and several high school students who used community service hours to help her tend these gardens. Many hands made the work a little lighter!

It was incredibly helpful to the schools to have someone care for their gardens and build community in the gardens over the summer, and Food Connects is pleased that we were able to offer this program for the third year in a row. Many thanks to Tara for her hard work tending gardens and building summer garden communities at each school, and a big thank you to Rise Vermont for helping to fund this important and valuable work!

Photos By: Tara Gordon

Welcoming Our Summer Garden Coordinator

Food Connects extends a warm welcome to Tara Gordon—our new summer garden program coordinator for five area schools this summer (Academy School, Green Street School, Oak Grove School, Guilford Central School, and Vernon Elementary School). Tara is a mother of two, has a multidisciplinary background in the biological sciences, was the Garden Coordinator for Putney Central School for three years, and is now the Green Street School Garden Coordinator. Tara finds gardening to be a wonderful way to instill a sense of purpose, a practical way to grow awareness of our place in nature, a way to cultivate our curiosity and creativity as caregivers, and a way to develop a closer interrelationship with the natural world. She is looking forward to working in the gardens with students and families over the summer.

Summer garden care is a crucial part of a healthy school garden program. Without someone tending gardens over the summer, gardens get overgrown and underwatered, making the fall harvests smaller and the overall gardening experience less pleasant for students and teachers. This is the third year that Food Connects has offered this valuable service to schools. Some schools have been able to find funds within their existing budgets to “buy-in” to this program, however not all schools have been able to find funds even though they have the need. We are grateful to Rise VT for a grant this season which allows us to expand our program and serve the communities of Guilford and Vernon.