Cordley Elementary Farm-to-School Lunch Event

Cordley second-grader Chloe McNair helps pick strawberries at Wohletz Farm Fresh, 1831 N. 1100 Road. The berries were used in a dessert prepared for Cordley students as part of a special lunch put on by the Farm-to-School program.  

 Photo by Rick Martin

A group of Lawrence residents, chefs, business owners, farmers and parents joined together to bring the students and staff at Cordley Elementary School an all local, mostly organic, non-processed delicious lunch on Friday, May 21, 2010. The event, coordinated by Linda Cottin and her daughter Cole, was in honor of the amazing Cordley Picnic Shelter that was recently completed and was a tribute to all the wonderful local food producers and purveyors that Lawrence has to offer. Funding for the event was supplied by the Kansas Rural Center and through donations from several local businesses.

Watch the video developed to share with students before the meal: 



Read more about the event and see photos on Facebook.
Media coverage of the event:
Lessons in lunch: Elementary students learn ingredients come from places besides grocery store, Lawrence Journal-World
Cordley students get a taste of farm-fresh cooking with special lunch, Lawrence Journal-World

Cordley Farm-to-School Lunch Menu and select ingredients

Photo by Tara Nelson

Vegetarian Lasagna: Local handmade pasta from 715, Central Soyfood tofu, local vegetables and Alma Creamery cheese.
Beef Lasagna: Local handmade pasta from 715, MJ Ranch beef, local vegetables, Alma Creamery cheese and béchamel sauce.
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free Lasagna: Central Soyfood tofu and local vegetables.
Whole-Wheat Breadsticks: Local Acme Grain flour.
Salad Bar: Local produce including mixed greens, tomatoes, onions, radishes, turnips, snap peas, carrots, strawberries and hard-boiled eggs, served with locally made vinaigrette and ranch dressings from Pachamama's.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp: Wohletz Farm Fresh strawberries picked by Cordley students, rhubarb from JCCC's student garden and Anthony's Beehive honey.
Milk: Iwig Family Dairy.

Kansas: School Garden Programs

Growing Food, Growing West

West Junior High, Lawrence KS
Community Mercantile Cooperative Grocery and Community Mercantile Education Foundation in Lawrence, Kansas have partnered with neighboring West Junior High School to build a permanent 4,000 sq. foot schoolyard garden. The coop has employed six West students to work in the garden, sell produce at a student run market this summer, and supply produce to the cafeteria in the fall. There will be lots of education and curriculum integration, and what we expect will be a beautiful, bountiful garden.
Keep up-to-date on the project at wellcommons.com.
For more information, contact Nancy O'Connor.

FoodCorps Vision: Build Farm to School supply chains, expand food system and nutrition education programs, and build and tend school food gardens

FoodCorps

website

The vision for FoodCorps is to recruit young adults for a yearlong term of public service in school food systems. Once stationed, FoodCorps members will build Farm to School supply chains, expand food system and nutrition education programs, and build and tend school food gardens. The ultimate goal of the project is to increase the health and prosperity of vulnerable children, while investing in the next generation of farmers. 

A 16-month planning process to develop FoodCorps began in January 2010. A summit of 60 interested stakeholders took place in Detroit May 19-20. Open conference calls to discuss the program are held on the first Thursday of every month at 5pm ET. For information about how to join the open calls and reminders on when they're being held, sign up here.

The planning process is building toward submission of a proposal to implement the FoodCorps concept, to be submitted to AmeriCorps and program partners in January 2011.

Watch the IATP Food and Society Fellows webinar with Deb Eschmeyer of the National Farm to School Network, and Curt Ellis, co-creator the documentaries "King Corn" and "Big River" on the development of the FoodCorps program:



Interested?

The next FoodCorps monthly open conference call on Thurday, August 5 will provide an introduction to the FoodCorps program, an update on FoodCorps Work Groups, information on becoming a FoodCorps Host Site, and open time for your questions.

To Participate:
This Thursday August 5, 5pm Eastern
Call (218) 936-4141
Enter code 571334#

For More Information:
Email info@food-corps.org, visit www.food-corps.org or call (718) 852-4656.