School meals continue through the summer: WSESU looking for volunteers to help with the effort
The Vermont Summer Food Service Program kicked off on June 22. For school kitchens throughout the state, that means continuing serving thousands of meals a week to their communities’ children. In the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU), they can’t do it alone. While school staff are the backbone of the operation, the program can’t operate without volunteers helping with food preparation and working at the distribution sites.
“I am grateful and in awe of all of our volunteers and can not thank them enough for ensuring our students get the nutrition they need to thrive,” said Ali West, Brattleboro Town Schools Food Service Director, Fresh Picks Cafe. “Many of our regular volunteers from the school year are taking a much-deserved break, meaning we have lots of volunteer slots to fill in the coming weeks.”
Shifts range from 30 minutes at distribution sites to 3-hour shifts helping with food prep. If you’d like to help—whether it be weekly or just a few times throughout the summer—you can sign up online at https://bit.ly/2Nu4RZB.
For families looking to sign up their kids for meals, please complete this form: https://bit.ly/3dAGHqM. Meals are available to every child 18 years and younger for free.
Who Feeds Our Kids: Kerri Harlow
Food Connects is launching a new series highlighting the amazing essential workers in our community who work hard every day to keep our children fed. Read on to learn more!
Kerri Harlow
For 12 years Kerri Harlow has worked in school food service at Putney Central School (PCS). Before she was in food service she worked as a paraeducator at PCS for 10 years in the 1990’s. And this month, she is retiring. We sat down recently and had a chat about her work, how things have changed in her work since COVID-19, and some of the things she loves about her job. Here are some highlights from that conversation:
Sheila Humphreys (SH): How has your work changed due to COVID-19?
“It keeps me going to think about the children and know that we are still impacting their lives even though we’re not seeing them. I know that there are so many people that are totally dependent on 2 school meals a day for their children and it’s rewarding to help.”
Kerri Harlow (KH): For the first 3 weeks I continued to work all the hours that were needed to get the lunches out. Then, as the COVID cases got closer because my husband and I are both considered high risk (especially my husband) for a while I couldn’t come in to work at all. When things started opening up I began coming back in the afternoon every day and preparing food for the next day. The worst part for me is to be in the building and have it be totally empty. It seems very odd. Not seeing the kids is very hard. We try not to always make sandwiches and brown bag lunches, so what we’re cooking hasn’t changed that much, it’s how we distribute it that has changed.
SH: What is keeping you going during these unusual times?
KH: It keeps me going to think about the children and know that we are still impacting their lives even though we’re not seeing them. I know that there are so many people that are totally dependent on 2 school meals a day for their children and it’s rewarding to help. Everyone receiving the meals has been so wonderful! We get emails and pictures of the children with their food, and one woman sent us a picture when we sent food for the entire week during April break. The picture was of her 2 children and her refrigerator that was packed and organized with the whole week's lunches and breakfasts. Knowing how much people have appreciated the meals and the fact that they are showing their appreciation with what they can, mainly with a note here or there has meant a lot.
SH: What has been your biggest challenge during this time?
KH: As far as school goes, it’s been challenging to feel like I am contributing enough because I have had to stay home for part of the time. It was hard for me to feel like I was doing my share, so I’m very happy to be back now, in the afternoons. I just made it my mission to put little gifts in the bags every Friday for the kids. It’s been the worst thing, not being at work when I know I’m supposed to be. Sometimes you come to work and you think, oh I wish I could stay home today, but then when it happens it’s not fun and you realize how much being at work really means.
SH: How can the community support you and other food service workers during this time?
KH: We’ve had a wonderful response from the staff members who are coming in and helping. This came about so quickly and we’ve never done this before, but it’s gone much more smoothly than I would have thought it would. I worry about next year. I wonder what's going to happen and how it's all going to come together. I wonder how long people can keep this going because it’s hard. As far as the community, they’ve done all that they can, and it definitely has been enough. Everyone has come together. It’s got to be done so we’re doing it!
SH: What advice would you give to someone who is interested in working in school food service?
KH: It is the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. It’s not easy at times, but since COVID-19, I have a whole new appreciation of the job. If someone has children in the school or in the district, it’s a great job because you have the same schedule as your children. When I was here as a paraeducator for 10 years in the 1990’s my children were in school here, and when I came back 12 years ago I was taking care of my granddaughter and she was in school here. It’s fantastic because the pressure is reduced as a working parent. The school understands when your child is sick and you have to stay home. Having the school vacations and snow days is great peace of mind. Working with the kids is wonderful. You get so close to them, handing them their meals every day. You wouldn’t think it would be enough time to connect with them but you do. It’s very, very rewarding and great to spend that much time with children.
SH: What brings you joy?
KH: My family and my work, and I love to do all different types of crafts. I’m retiring this year, and I can’t wait to come back as a volunteer. It’s not a job that you walk away from easily. I’m such good friends with everyone in the building, so I realized that if I volunteer I can have more one on one time with the kids. I love interacting with the kids and I’m looking forward to that when I come back as a volunteer. I love working with children. I had a home daycare, I was a para, and then I have been a cook here. Everything I’ve done for work has been child-oriented.
SH: What are you grateful for?
KH: I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to work here twice when it was the perfect fit for my family. I’m very grateful for all the people here that I’ve met, some of whom have been friends since I worked here back in the 1990’s. I am extremely grateful for the insurance that the school provides. I didn’t have that as a paraeducator or when I worked here with a food service company, but when our meal program became independent the school put us on their insurance which was amazing. I’m very grateful to have had this job and have had it work so well. It’s been really, really wonderful. Seeing the kitchen change to an independent food service while I’ve been here was amazing, and Food Connects’ staff Helen, Katherine, and Richard were so wonderful. It is something I loved that happened while I was working here! It was very good for the school and we have such support from the community for the food program and I’m very grateful for that also.
SH: Final thoughts?
KH: I'm retiring at the end of this year and it’s going to be very, very hard to leave. It’s been a fantastic job. The closer retirement gets, I think, “what am I doing?” but it’s time to move on, and by no means am I walking away from this building. They will probably get sick of me! It’s been a fantastic job. I broke my shoulder this winter and I was out of work for 2 months. I was just starting to come back when the school closure happened. All of the kids made me cards and the staff made me food and I had all these special things I was going to do for each classroom when I came back but I couldn’t do any of it because of the school closure. I’m looking forward to making good on my intention to pay it forward when I come back as a volunteer.
Addendum: We learned after this interview that Kerri is an incredible baker and she is making individual graduation cakes (yes, a whole cake!) for all of the 8th graders.
Vegetable Starts Make it to the Community
Hundreds of veggie starts made it out to the community in early June thanks to Sarah Rosow (Guilford’s Farm to School Coordinator), Lilac Ridge Farm, and VT Hemp!
It started early on a Wednesday morning, with Sarah distributing 6-packs of kale starts donated by Lilac Ridge Farm. Amanda Thurber of Lilac Ridge donates plants to Guilford Central School garden every spring. This year she had an abundance of kale plants and wanted to donate them. Sarah worked with her and Ali West (Brattleboro Town Food Service Director, Fresh Picks Cafe) to figure out how to distribute them. 10 trays/80 six-packs/640 plants ended up getting distributed to Guilford families with their normal school meal delivery. Families who don't get lunch delivered were invited to pick up plants from school.
Paraeducator Sandy Cutting delivers kale plants and lunch to Guilford Pre-K student Leah Hurst.
Kale ready to be loaded onto buses for delivery to Guilford residents.
Amanda and Lilac Ridge Farm also had cabbage and tomato plants to donate and hope to do another distribution later in the month. Sarah shared planting instructions through the school’s Facebook page and in the school newsletter and plans to share recipes later. Anyone who wants to support Lilac Ridge Farm can buy plants or produce at their farmstand on Ames Hill Road.
Isaac Freitas-Eagan of Guilford, and Amanda Thurber, co-owner of Lilac Ridge Farm of West Brattleboro, prepare to send off 10 trays of kale plants to Guilford families.
In the afternoon, Jon and Harley from VT Hemp set-up shop in the Brattleboro Union High School parking lot to distribute a variety of veggie starts to the community. Community members, school gardeners, and various organizations stopped by to pick up the starts for the season! VT Hemp hopes to continue this program in the future with more veggie starts to come.
Veggie starts from VT Hemp.
There’s a lot of gardening happening this summer. Want to get involved but don’t have space? Looking for advice from an experienced garden? Join Tara Gordon at one of Food Connects many open garden hours. It’s free for children and parents and art activities will accompany each session. Sign up ahead of time to reserve your spot!
#growingresilienceVT #vtvegout
June 2020 Farm To School Newsletter
Summer Gardens are Back!
Reenvisioning the Oak Grove School Garden
Growing Resilience
Thank You, Walker Farm!
Who Feeds Our Kids?
The Lunch Monitor: Pandemic EBT
Springfield Cafeteria Change
Change is Coming to Springfield School District’s Cafeterias this Fall
One of the mantras of Farm to School is the three C’s—classrooms, cafeterias, and communities. Of the three, cafeterias are arguably the most complicated—federal nutritional guidelines dictate much of what is served, complicated funding and eligibility formulas heavily influence School Nutrition Programs’ finances, and procurement regulations add to the pile of paperwork on Food Service Directors' desks.
In an effort to simplify all this, many districts contract out the work of feeding their students to Food Service Management Companies (FSMC, usually for-profit companies). Economies of scale and specialized experience in the field can give these companies a competitive edge and increased efficiency of feeding kids. There can exist a tension between school meal affordability and quality and the profit motive inherently tied to for-profit businesses. Similar discussions are playing out in other areas of American life where public services are privatized—healthcare, prisons, and schools at large.
For our discussion today it means that behind the scenes at the most local level, an individual school’s cafeteria, there are two bureaucracies sharing responsibility—the school administration and the FSMC. That can make effecting change more difficult and clear communication essential. It effects what students are eating every day. To get a better picture of the landscape of school lunches in southeastern Vermont, check out our Cafeteria Unknown stories.
Every five years, a district’s food service contract needs to be re-bid, which is when the school nutrition contract is open to the public for other companies and individuals to bid. This can be a time to reflect on the current state of school meals and reassess what values the district wants to elevate—this could include incorporating more local foods, improving meal quality, or moving towards universal meals. Springfield School District (SSD) completed its contract rebid this spring and staff from Food Connects, the Department of Health, and Springfield Hospital worked with the school staff to update the nutritional guidelines in their wellness policy.
Beth Brothers, SSD’s Health Coordinator, led this effort on the wellness team, which also serves as the district’s nutrition advisory council. Given the team’s interest in nutrition, it was a natural fit for them to take on much of the work in preparation for the contract being re-bid. Laurie Colgan, former State Director for Child Nutrition Programs, was contracted to manage the entire process and the wellness team dug into recommendations for nutritional changes.
Of all the bids received, one stood out to Beth and many others on the review committee. The Abbey Group, a Vermont-based FSMC, ultimately won the contract. In addition to being a local company, their bid stood out to Beth because of the emphasis placed on nutrition education for their staff. The commitment to professional development and higher wages helped the Abbey Group’s bid rise to the top.
Beth is excited to see what the new program looks like for SSD’s students this coming fall. Despite uncertainty over what school will look like, Beth and the wellness team hopes to see more local and healthy foods on the menu. She’s excited about starting a new relationship with the Abbey Group. When looking back on the entire process, Beth reflected that “the thing I have seen the biggest need for is stronger communication and collaboration.” It’ll be with that takeaway in mind that the wellness team starts the new school
The Lunch Monitor: Pandemic EBT
Since we kicked off this series this last winter, a lot has changed! To keep up, we want to spread the word about a great program that is already in place—but it’s not too late to join.
Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) is a new benefit for families with students who are eligible for free and reduced meals at school or attend a school with universal free meals. If you’re currently eligible, you should have received a mailing with more information. If you’d like to enroll, all you need to do is sign up for 3SquaresVT or free and reduced school meals. Doing either of these will make you eligible for this program as well.
How does it work?
Families receive up to $386.70 per student in benefits. More benefits may also be released. For families already enrolled in 3SquaresVT, the benefits are loaded directly onto your card. If you don’t participate in 3SquaresVT but are eligible for P-EBT, a card is mailed to you. You can use this card to purchase foods at supermarkets, co-ops, general stores, and farmers’ markets.
P-EBT does not replace the school meals currently distributed throughout the state. Even if your family is still receiving school meals, you may be eligible for P-EBT. Looking for more information? Check out Vermont 2-1-1 and Hunger Free VT for more resources.
If you think you should have received a P-EBT card, please call the DCF service desk at 1-800-479-6151.
Keep on the lookout for our next part in The Lunch Monitor series where we’ll examine a local purchasing incentive currently under consideration in the VT Statehouse and the emergency response being advocated to accompany it.
Who Feeds Our Kids: Jill Harnish
Food Connects is launching a new series highlighting the amazing essential workers in our community who work hard every day to keep our children fed. Read on to learn more!
Jill Harnish
Jill Harnish has worked in school food service in our community for the past 11 years. She worked at Putney Central for her first 5 years, and now she’s in her 6th year working in Brattleboro, currently at Oak Grove School. We sat down recently and had a chat about her work and how things have changed for her this spring. Here are some highlights from that conversation:
Shelia Humphreys (SH): How has your work changed due to COVID-19?
“Please help out by volunteering when you can. We couldn’t do this without the volunteers, it would be too much. Volunteers are a big help to us!
”
Jill Harnish (JH): My work is completely different. Instead of my usual routine of making food in the kitchen at Oak Grove for a smaller number of kids and focusing on preparing the hot lunch of the day, now I’m making A LOT of lunches and dinners. It’s a little like doing a bag lunch day for a class field trip, but on a much larger scale. Also, my workplace has changed. Now I’m working in the Academy School kitchen, which is actually closer to my house. Another big change is that I don’t see students during my workday anymore.
SH: What is keeping you going during these unusual times?
JH: What’s keeping me going is knowing that I’m making meals for the kids who might not otherwise have food and keeping myself busy with my work.
SH: Do you have children at home, and if so, how are you managing with childcare?
JH: It’s hard because my youngest is a senior this year and he’s in special education. He’s got homework to do, so when I leave work I have to go home and help him with his homework because he won’t do it when I’m not there.
SH: What has been your biggest challenge during this time?
JH: Working more hours than I’m used to has been my biggest challenge. I’m working 1.5-2 hours longer each day and I’m also getting up earlier. Trying to juggle work and responsibilities at home is a little difficult.
SH: How can the community support you and other food service workers during this time?
JH: Please help out by volunteering when you can. We couldn’t do this without the volunteers, it would be too much. Volunteers are a big help to us!
SH: What advice would you give to someone who is interested in working in school food service?
JH: It’s a rewarding job. It’s a nice feeling to feed the children and to get to see them everyday. It’s hard not to see them now. It’s good hours for being a working parent.
SH: What brings you joy?
JH: My kids. Also, my husband and I belong to a church and we cook a meal for the overflow shelter every month. I like feeding people.
SH: What are you grateful for?
JH: I’m grateful that I have my job and I’m grateful for my health.
SH: Final thoughts?
JH: My work is challenging but rewarding!
Thank you, Walker Farm!
Walker Farm in Dummerston is a strong supporter of school gardens in the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU), offering credit for supplies at their farm stand to school gardens each spring.
This year Food Connects reached out to Walker Farm on behalf of WSESU school gardens to ask if they would consider donating again this year. Owner Jack Manix responded immediately with an enthusiastic “yes!”, and a willingness to increase support of school gardens this year by 40%!
On behalf of all the school gardens and Farm to School committees in WSESU, many thanks to Walker Farm for their continued support during these challenging times. The gardens are a source of hope for school communities as schools have navigated through this unusual end of the school year, inspiring us to dream about coming back to school in the fall to harvest with students.
Growing Resilience in Brattleboro
Food Connects is excited to be a part of Brattleboro’s new Growing Resilience campaign! Because Brattleboro’s interest in gardening is sky-high in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have worked to create this campaign to unite us in a shared story. We have collectively-organized tangible gardening support in the form of education, materials, and locations to empower the community’s desire to grow food. To learn more about the campaign, check out GrowingResilience.info.
We’ll be offering activities throughout the summer through Food Connects’ Summer Garden Program. Learn from Tara Gordon, help care for the school’s gardens, and take home some crops when ready to harvest! For hours, locations, and sign-up information, check out our summer garden program information.
#GrowingResilienceVT
