By Holly Catron, Purdue Extension Community Wellness Coordinator
A rural elementary school in Montgomery County found a way to partner with the local community and offer farm to school nutrition education during in-classroom lunch.
The COVID-19 pandemic required us to be creative in meeting the nutrition needs of students. While including the community in our initiatives is challenging, it is well worth it. Take, for example, Ladoga Elementary School in South Montgomery Community Schools.
Chris Hazelton, a new food services director for Chartwells, was determined to provide nutrition education to his schools as he worked to increase the percentage of locally sourced food. No Kid Hungry connected him to the local Purdue Extension office to link him to community resources.
Ladoga Elementary School is home to 200 students in grades K-6. Located in a small town in a rural community, a full 54 percent of the student population qualify for free or reduced lunch. Chris recently began to offer breakfast and lunch in the classroom. Through discussions with Sonna Schafer, the school principal, he spotted an opportunity to teach the kids about nutrition.
Ashley Adair, Purdue Extension ANR Educator, partnered with the local wellness coalition and others to launch a Farm to School community coalition in 2019. In Ladoga, this team quickly developed a plan to offer virtual programs integrated with activities and food with a farm to school theme.
The first opportunity will include a video tour of Orchard Hill Apple Farm in northeast Indiana, courtesy of the Northeast Indiana Farm to School Team. This program will be delivered in early January. Students will learn how Indiana apples are grown and harvested and try an apple with their school lunch.
Don’t overlook community resources as you seek to provide opportunities for your students. No Kid Hungry can help.