Vermont Profile

Farm to school efforts within Vermont are lead by Vermont Food Education Every Day (VT FEED), a collaborative project of the Food Works, Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, and Shelburne Farms. The project was implemented in the Jay/Westfield Elementary School in 2000 and spread to ten schools by 2004. By 2007 VT FEED has worked with over 75 shcools throughout the state. VT FEED was designed with the goal of creating food system change and was organized on three levels:

1. The Classroom, with standard-based food, farm, and nutrition-based curriculum that involves in-depth graduate level teacher training, including summer workshops and in-class mentoring;

2. The Cafeteria, through the integration of local food and nutrition education through food service institutes, in-cafeteria mentoring, and peer support;

3. The Community, through reconnecting people to their food sources- the farms and farmers.