by Mia Kartiganer
Special to the Islands’ Sounder
With a shared desire to engage children in their environment, community and health, a group of Orcas Islanders attended the recent Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Portland, Ore. looking for the tools to create our own successful program.
We were pleasantly overwhelmed by the bounty of resources available for lesson plans, recipes, fun garden and cooking activities for children, and administrative guidelines. Over 40 states were represented, as well as three Canadian Provinces.
It was nice to be reminded that Orcas Island’s Farmers’ Market has gained national attention, as have the Bullocks’ Permaculture classes. From the wealth of knowledge and experience in our community we could create a program of sustainability, farming, building, beeing, metal forging, composting – and FEAST is doing just that. Now Farm to Cafeteria (F2C) is taking the lead to bring locally grown foods into the lunchroom and the curricula.
Thirty-one workshops showed us how to root our farmers in the F2C movement, capture the 5th season for our winter menus, count ladybugs (bring math into the garden), use media web tools, develop curriculum, and a favorite, Linking Classrooms and Cafeteria from Elementary to Elders: “a multi-generational program bringing senior citizens into the school with emotional, educational and logistical benefits,” as attendee Whitney Hartzell described it.
Best of all was the opening plenary, “Voices of Youth.” We were introduced to students who changed the way food is procured for their school district, instigated the inclusion of hands-on sustainable education into their curriculum and demanded local foods in their cafeterias and campus gardens to help produce them.
Orcas High Schoolers Elli Blaine and Iris Pavitt had the opportunity to spend time with students from across the nation and to share their FEAST presentation. As the voice of youth on the F2C Committee, Pavitt will be conducting surveys among her peers as a way of involving them in the design of F2C.
“Through this (F2C) program I envision the partnership between our local farmers and our food service personnel as one of many steps on the road to sustainability and a better quality of life for our children,” said Orcas Superintendent Barbara Kline.
We encourage community participation, from classroom to garden and beyond. Please check the “What’s Happening” section of the Islands’ Sounder for planting parties and other events you may like to join in.
To reach F2C Coordinator Bruce Orchid, email borchid@orcas.k12.wa.us.
Mia Kartiganer is a F2C committee member.
