Tennessee Media Coverage

Produce in schools can be nutritious, educational by Pam Strickland. Know News. Published 05/06/2011.
Jon Dickl, director of school nutrition and food services for Knox County Schools, isn't in the business of growing and picking fresh foods, but he does have a couple of local farms that are preparing bids for the school district for a new farm-to-school program. It would make Knox County, which will spend about $1 million on produce next year, the largest district in the state with such a program. The Knox County district serves about 35,000 lunches and 12,000 breakfasts daily. State education officials hope to make it a model that other districts can follow. Read the entire article.

Schools poised to offer local produce for meals by Rebecca Williams. Knox News. Published 02/27/2011.
Much of the tomatoes, lettuce and other vegetables served this spring for public school lunches will be grown locally, according to Knox County Schools' new director of school nutrition and food services, Jon Dickl. Read the entire article.

Local food program promotes Tenn. farms, improved nutrition for students by Rebecca D. Williams. Knox News. Published 08/25/2009.
Most children don't get the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, experts say. In the last 20 years, obesity rates have doubled among children and tripled among adolescents, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. In 2008, 31.9 percent of American children and adolescents were overweight and 16.3 percent were obese. That's what drives Snodgrass to hunt for locally grown vegetables, she says. "We have a pretty high percentage of high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes," says Snodgrass. "We are a pretty low-income county. I figure if they get one extra serving of vegetables a day, I've helped the child." Read the entire article.

Local food program promotes Tenn. farms, improved nutrition for students by Rebecca D. Williams. Knox News. Published 08/25/2009.
A look at Farm 2 School efforts in Tennessee: "Even though it takes extra time and effort, cafeteria workers in Hawkins County's public schools slice every apple into wedges before serving it. If they don't slice the apples, the kids won't eat them, according to Child Nutrition Director Alice Snodgrass." Read the entire article.

Simply Fresh brings city schools produce straight from the farm by Rick Wagner. Times News. Published 08/22/2009.
You could call it eating local, a practical experience class. That's because the economics of supporting local farmers is literally on the lunch table at Kingsport schools. Students are eating locally grown produce thanks to a produce vendor who seeks it out. Read the entire article.

Too many children in danger of obesity as adults by Shari Barkin, M.D., MSHS. The Tennessean. Published 07/18/2009.
Tennessee farm-to-school programs enhance accessibility of fresh produce, but are such innovative programs and policies probably enough to halt the epidemic Read the entire article.

Crabtree Farms Workshop Educates New Community Garden Groups. Chattanoogan. Published 02/27/2009.
Crabtree Farms held a community garden start-up workshop entitled "From the Ground Up" this month, training seven new community garden groups on how to start and run a successful community garden. Read the entire article.

H.G. Hill Middle School benefits from food grant funding by Lea Ann Overstreet Allen. The Tennessean. Published 12/17/2008.
Several local schools and community groups recently received $2,650 in grant funding from Food Security Partners of Middle Tennessee to increase the amount of healthy food available to them. Read the entire article.

Program for schools serves locally grown veggies by Jennifer Justus. The Tennessean. Published 03/31/2008.
A national farm-to-school effort is putting produce from local farmers on some Tennessee students' cafeteria trays. With childhood obesity on the rise, naysayers have been known to place blame on the kids, insisting they prefer cupcakes over carrots. But proponents of a nonprofit National Farm to School program believe the key to healthier eating in cafeterias is education - and access. Read the entire article.