Vote for Real Food!


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As the farm to school movement grows, this newsletter highlights pivotal policies, news, publications, and events. Please contact us if you have any comments or suggestions.

Spotlight

Vote for the Real Food Is...YouTube Contest Winner

We asked students k-college to tell us what Real Food Is. Who do you think broadcast the best video?

Did they meet the challenge to inform, inspire, and encourage student advocacy to restore connections to community, food, land, and place through Farm to Cafeteria programs?

A panel of judges consisting of distinguished farm to school experts, filmmakers, and youth have reviewed and scored all of the videos. The top five from each category, k-12 and college, are up for public vote to determine who wins the $1,000 for their school food project and a trip to the 4th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Portland, Oregon March 19-21.

Now it is up for you to decide! Click on the titles, watch the video and then choose your favorite from each category. Vote now!

Voting ends Saturday, February 14th.

http://www.farmtoschool.org/vote.php

Featured Profile

Going the Distance and Shortening It

Registration ends March 6th for the 4th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Portland, Oregon from March 19-21st. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from and network with hundreds from across the country working on getting local food onto every table. Visit http://farmtocafeteriaconference.com/ for more information.

Join us for field trips to local farms, school lunchrooms and processing facilities; short courses covering topics such as grant writing and research and evaluation; an open space session; 32 workshops on issues such as federal and state policy, experiential education, sustainability and economic development and sessions geared towards youth, producers, and food service providers. All food will be organic or sustainably produced and locally sourced whenever possible.

REGISTER NOW!

Upcoming Opportunity

Youth Mentorship Lunch

We are looking for conference “mentors,” adults who are interested in partnering with and supporting a youth attendee at the March conference. The Youth Mentorship Lunch will be an opportunity to connect across the generations, sharing conversation over good food.

Whether you are a long-time farmer, hospital administrator, school food advocate, or business person, you’ve got something to bring to the table. Many young people are stepping into new leadership roles–working to make change at school and in their community–and are looking to learn from movement elders around them. Mentorship Lunch participants will asked to engage in an equal exchange–both sharing and listening–in matters both professional and personal.

When you register for the mentorship lunch, you will be asked a series of questions about your background and experiences so that you can be matched with a youth who shares common interests.

The program will be loosely structured, starting with a shared lunch on Friday, March 20 as well as 1-2 other scheduled check-ins throughout the conference. The rest is up to you and your partner!

Register as a mentor at the Real Food Challenge website:

http://realfoodchallenge.org/northwest/mentor-lunch

This Month's News

Farm to School: A Conversation with Marion Kalb

by Rebecca gerendasy. Cooking up a story.

Marion Kalb, co-director of the National Farm to School Network, talks about the benefits to school kids, farmers, and rural communities when fresh, and local food is brought into the school lunch program for K-12 kids. This is an amazing three part series that is a must see for anyone wanting to know about farm to school! Watch the video.

Dear Mom-in-Chief

by debra Eschmeyer. civil eats.

A public letter asks the First Lady to make the health of our nation’s children her platform priority. Sasha and Malia are fortunate to be eating nutritious local, organic lunches at Sidwells Friends School, but what about kids in the rest of the country? Read the entire article.

Local Greens Go To Local Schools

by Heather Biance. WCTV.

They say you are what you eat and in order to make sure students in Florida are getting a healthier start while at school, there's a new initiative that's linking local farmers with school districts. Organizers say the Farm to School program is a win-win for everyone. Read the entire article.

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