Farm to School Goes to the 14th Annual Northeast Farm to School Institute (NEFTSI)

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!

Free Summer Meal Kit Information

Students across our region can access free meal kits throughout the summer. WNESU School Nutrition Manager Harley Sterling and WRED Food Service Manager Jake Gallogly have been hard at work putting together healthy, fresh meals for kids in Windham county and as far east as Keene Middle School, NH.

Find a pick-up location near you below:

Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU) meal kits feature 5 frozen and heat lunches and shelf stable breakfasts and are available to any household with children under 18 who live in the district. Find WSESU meal kits every Wednesday at the following locations: 

Keene Middle School meal kits include 7 days’ worth of breakfast and lunch items, available to children 18 and younger from any town.

Windham Northeast Supervisory Union Meal kits include bulk and ready-to-eat items equal to 7 days of breakfast and lunch for one child. These meals are available to any household with children under 18 who live within the boundaries of WNESU.

West River School District Meal Kits contain 7 days' worth of breakfast & lunch, and are available to anyone under the age of 18 regardless of enrollment. 

Summer EBT, Summer Meals, and new Outreach Materials from Hunger Free Vermont

Summer EBT: 

This summer, Vermont announced a new program called Summer EBT. Summer EBT helps families get groceries during the summer break when school meals aren't available. For families who qualify, they will get $120 per eligible child as a one-time benefit to use at 600+ grocery stores and 30+ farmers markets.

Check out the state's Summer EBT website and view a recording of a brief, informal Summer EBT info session with the state here. 

Questions? Email Tim Morgan (tmorgan@hungerfreevt.org) and Ivy Enoch (ienoch@hungerfreevt.org). 

Summer Meals for All (ages 0-18):

Thanks to Universal School Meals and other program changes, there are many new sites all over Vermont giving out meals this year!  Sites operate differently depending on their area: some sites serve breakfast and lunch, others may give away several days worth of meals at once, and some might even deliver meals. 

Here is a hyperlink to the *2024* Summer Meal Site spreadsheet (which is currently accessible on Hunger Free VT's homepage), this is a cumulative list of all the Summer Meal Sites in the state with their operating days/times. It is updated as sites open/close and includes the site(s) location/days/hours of operation, and important site notes & details. Some sites have a parent pick-up option so please check site(s) details to find out if this is  an option for you in your area

For future reference, you can find this site list each summer on Hunger Free VT's website under the tab Resources> Child Nutrition Hub > Summer Meals. If you're new to the program, here is a presentation that tells you all about Summer Meals. 

A *new* project we've been working on alongside the Vermont Language Justice Project are translated videos with information about Summer Meals across the state. You can find these videos in the link(s) provided below or on the Vermont Language Justice Project's YoutTube page *Digital* Translated Summer Meals Outreach Videos on YouTube

·       Languages provided:

o   Arabic

o   Burmese

o   Dari

o   English

o   French 

o   Haitian Kreyol

o   Kirundi

o   Maay Maay

o   Mandarin

o   Nepali

o   Pashto

o   Spanish

o   Somali

o   Swahili

o   Tigrinya

o   Ukrainian

o   Vietnamese

Food Resources for All *Summer 2024 edition*

Lastly, if you’d like to share, use this Food Resources for All '24 Summer Edition, flyer which contains up to date info on current food programs and community food resources for all and any who need them across the state, because no one should have to worry about having enough food.

Farm to School goes to NEFTSI

Photos by Sarah Webb.

The West River Education District and Windham Southeast Supervisory Union were selected to participate in the 2024 Northeast Farm to School Institute (NEFTSI).

This year-long professional development program, organized by Vermont FEED, empowers teams comprised of educators, food service professionals, administrators, and community members to enhance their Farm to School programs through engaging speakers, hands-on workshops, and personalized coaching.

The West River Education District team, representing Leland and Gray Union Middle and High School, NewBrook Elementary School, Townshend Elementary School, Jamaica Village School, and Windham Elementary School, aims to develop a district-wide Farm to School plan to integrate Farm to School principles throughout their students’ educational journey.

These teams joined other participants from New England and New York, hosted at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, Vermont. Throughout the session, they delved into diverse topics, including fostering connections to the food system through gardening and composting and promoting equity within Farm to School initiatives.

Learn more about what these teams engaged in by reading a recap of the 2022 program.


Townshend Elementary Celebrates Farm and Field Day

Earlier this month Townshend Elementary School had their first annual Farm and Field Day, and our Farm to School staff was there to help them celebrate! Students were able to engage with multiple interactive stations that centered around learning about their local food system, along with making eating healthy and nutritious food a whole lot of fun.  

Each station was related to a farm or food activity. FTS Coach Katie Morrison’s station was all about dairy, which was the Harvest of the Month product for June. Students were able to hop on and spin their way to delicious smoothies on the smoothie bike, and learned how to make fresh butter in a jar on their own! Other Farm and Field Day activities included learning about cows and dairy farming with Meadows Bee Farm, sheep and wool education with Robin Patnode, a recycle relay with Windham Waste Management District, and learning about local wildlife with the local Game Warden. 

The day also included several classic field day activities that we might remember from our childhood - making it a well-rounded experience full of learning and laughter. 

We were so happy to be a part of what is sure to become a beloved annual tradition for this school community.




From Vermont to Vietnam: A Journey of Food, Farming, and Learning

This past spring, the Journey Away semester program took students across the globe to learn about food systems and culture. During the spring semester, the group explored their own backyard in southern Vermont before traveling to the American South, Vietnam, and France. They returned to Vermont in mid-May exhausted but having learned a tremendous amount and ready to share their stories with the community.

The trip was jam-packed, leaving them with a wide variety of highlights to share. The Vermont segment included field trips to several local farms, including Miller Farm in Vernon, Scott Farm in Dummerston, Rushton's Farm in Grafton, and Hazleton's Sugarbush in Rawsonville. Next came a short trip to New York City, which included an urban food tour and a visit to the United Nations. Their visit to the American South included a trip to Jones Valley Teaching Farm in Birmingham, Alabama, a civil rights tour, and land restoration work with Common Ground Relief in New Orleans. They then traveled to Vietnam, where they visited the Mekong River, did a farm stay, and embarked on food tours in Saigon and Hanoi. Finally, in France, they immersed themselves in the food cultures of Paris and the Auvergne region, visiting a local cheesemaker, making bread in a boulangerie, visiting local farms, and taking in the landscape through local hikes.

Their first stop in sharing their experience was hosting a workshop at the FEAST Summit at Shelburne Farms on May 22nd. FEAST, which stands for Food Education and Sustainability Systems Thinking, is a youth-organized conference for local high school students, showcasing different workshops about food systems, agriculture, and sustainability. At the summit, a few Journey Away students hosted a workshop providing an overview of their experiences in the American South, Vietnam, and France, and led participants in making spring rolls. The workshop struck a nice balance between being informative and hands-on, resulting in some vibrant and delicious spring rolls.

Next, program director Jessa Harger was the keynote speaker at Food Connects' Farm to School gathering on May 30th at Bellows Falls Union High School. In addition to sharing highlights from the trip, Jessa reflected on the evidence of climate change the group witnessed in the countries they visited. She also shared some themes she observed while leading a group of teenagers on this expeditionary learning trip.

On June 7th, the Journey Away group hosted a community event at the Townshend Town Hall where they shared stories and work from the semester. The centerpiece of the event was a 50-minute movie showcasing images and videos from the places they visited throughout their journey. The event also included oral histories collected along the way, as well as other academic and creative work that came out of the semester. One project even included food made by students, inspired by the places they visited. This gathering was a meaningful way for the group to reflect on their experiences and share them with the Leland and Gray community.

The Food Connects Farm to School team and food hub were happy to support the Journey Away group throughout the semester. What an inspiring program that truly deepened this group's experiences of culture and broadened their worldview!

2024 Food Connects Farm to School & Early Childhood Education Gathering

The Food Connects Farm to School team hosted their annual Farm to School and Early Childhood Education Gathering on May 30th at Bellows Falls Union High School, the first to happen since Covid. The event was enriched by a varied group of participants - educators, school administrators, and school nutrition professionals, farmers, families,  community members and FTS-affiliated organizations - all passionate about strengthening the Farm to School movement in southern Vermont.

The afternoon began with an inspiring presentation by Jessa Harger, Program Director of Journey Away, who shared details of this year's ‘expeditionary learning’ Journey Away semester program. Through this program, students delved into the intricacies of food systems through visits to local farms and businesses and explored the food culture of Vermont, New York City, the U.S. South, Vietnam, and France to gain a global perspective on agriculture and cuisine.

Harley Sterling, School Nutrition Director of Windham Northeast Supervisory Union, followed with a captivating tour of the BFUHS kitchen and overview of the WNESU food program and the evolution of food service in Vermont schools. Harley is a leader in the independent Food Service model in Vermont and serves on the board of directors of the School Nutrition Association of Vermont. Harley has brought scratch cooking, local purchasing and Farm to School education to the forefront of WNESU’s food service program. WNESU leads the state in local purchasing, consistently buying 30% of their food from Vermont farms and producers, making the district an inspiration to other schools looking to make their values visible through an independent school nutrition program. During his tour Harley emphasized the importance of engaging students in the food process, from garden to kitchen, and highlighted Vermont's leadership in Farm to School initiatives.

Participants then broke out into interactive workshops led by Farm to School educators. Cedar Schiewetz of the Vermont Garden Network demonstrated food preservation techniques, while Dana Hudson, Vermont Farm to School and Early Childhood Network Coordinator, showcased the educational benefits of incorporating animals into Farm to School programs. Alex Lacy of Windham Solid Waste Management District led a workshop on large-scale composting, providing valuable insights for school communities on adopting and improving composting in schools.

The event culminated in a delicious Journey Away-themed dinner prepared by Harley and his staff, featuring Vietnamese, French and Southern dishes inspired by the diverse cultures visited during the course of the program. Participants enjoyed the opportunity to network and connect, sharing their passion for Farm to School initiatives. The evening ended with a raffle of gift baskets with Vermont products purchased through the Food Connects Food Hub, and flower arrangements from Vernon’s Farm Wife Flowers and Westminster’s Hope Roots Farm as well as parting gifts of Vermont maple syrup and Vermont-produced ice cream treats for all attendees.

Our 2024 Farm to School and Early Childhood Gathering was a great success, fostering collaboration and inspiring new ideas to further integrate local food systems into schools and early childhood education settings. The event serves as a reminder of the vital role that Farm to School programs play in educating children about food, nutrition, and the importance of supporting local agriculture.

Katie Hosts Food Systems Workshop at Twin Valley High School’s 'Belonging Summit'

On May 31st, Farm to School Coach Katie Morrison hosted a workshop at Twin Valley Middle High School's first annual ‘Belonging Summit’. The goal of the summit was to build understanding and empathy across the school community and to introduce students to the activism of local social justice organizations.

Representing Food Connects, Katie presented a workshop titled “From the Soil to Your Plate: What Does Food Have to Do with Social Justice?” The workshop began with a cheese taste test that asked the students to consider all the steps the cheese took on its journey to their plates.

Students then engaged in an activity in which they envisioned what their ideal food system would look like, looking to solve challenges such as food insecurity, pay inequity, unsafe working conditions, climate change, and environmental degradation. Students came up with inspiring visions of a food system that included community gardens, local food, and food security.

Food Connects is proud to be part of a network that works to educate local youth about food systems and social justice.

Katie Joins Dairy in the Classroom as an Educator

We’re excited to announce that Farm to School Coach Katie Morrison is joining the Dairy in the Classroom (DITC) program as an educator - making this popular program more accessible to schools across southern Vermont. Katie brings a wealth of experience, having worked with dairy cows for a decade at the Putney School's Elm Lea Farm.

Dairy in the Classroom, sponsored by Shelburne Farms, is an engaging educational program that explores dairy farming and dairy foods. The program consists of two in-class lessons followed by a field trip to a local dairy farm. Lessons are led by a DITC educator like Katie and feature hands-on activities like making butter, ice cream, dairy dips, and cheese.

If you're interested in hosting a Dairy in the Classroom program in your classroom or would like more information, please email Katie at Katie.morrison@foodconnects.org.