School Lunch

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Permalink Reply by Alan Archibald on May 6, 2009 at 11:44pm

feel free to contact me at a.archibald@sbcglobal.net There are some primary sources of funding for youth work and urban farming relates to all of them. Again, I think that nutrition/obesity/exercise is a cluster of issues that would be the starting place, but there is much more and the devil is in the details - not because this can't possibly happen, but because this project is waiting to work its magic for someone who will get started and keep going until they get it figured out.

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Permalink Reply by angela rey on May 7, 2009 at 4:38am

That is a wonderful idea!! I went yesturday and had lunch with my child. The food wasnt horrible, but I could see alot of room for improvement. After I had the chicken things, pineapple, celery, and corn... I was then swollen from all the salt Im guessing?? The celery was the healthiest part of that lunch. So Bravo =) I would support all of Indiana going to a better lunch. I believe 100% that "add" would drop too =)

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Permalink Reply by Kyle Capron on May 7, 2009 at 6:14am

I think that it will be a better teaching tool then anything else. IPS uses a commissary system. They batch cook the meals and send them out to most of the schools. They have contract deals with their food suppliers,i.e. US Foodservice, Gordon Foodservice and Sysco. I am not familiar with the Edible Schoolyard program and maybe they had the same issues. It does sound like a good idea to show the kids how vegetables grow, and that they just don't come from a store.

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Permalink Reply by Sacha Brady on May 7, 2009 at 7:22am

LOVE this idea! A comprehensive program to teach kids the value of growing their own food AND knowing the people who grow/raise their food (which is ultimately what happens when we patronize local producers) provides invaluable lessons in community, economics, nutrition, cooperation, respect for the environment, nature, responsibility...the list goes on. The Edible Schoolyard (http://www.edibleschoolyard.org) looks like a wonderful model around which to build your new program. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by David Barnhardt on May 7, 2009 at 7:26am

It's a great idea, but only if the students are the ones supplying the labor. This is a teaching opportunity and a community building effort. When the students see the "FRUITS" of there labor they better understand what work is all about.

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Permalink Reply by Daina Chamness on May 7, 2009 at 7:34am

I attended a small country school. Lunchtime was like family at that school. The cooks were farm wives and the food, much of which was donated from farms and gardens in the community, was cooked homestyle and served in dishes which we passed up and down the long tables. The food was fresh, delicious and we learned a lot at that little school, not the least of which was manners, community food and fellowship at the table. Is it really that hard to do that still? The way we feed children in schools now resembles the feedlots in which the food was probably raised. Children are herded into big rooms, forbidden to speak while eating and have no time to relax during their meal. What kind of message do we send children these days about the food they eat and what it means?

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Permalink Reply by Deb New on May 7, 2009 at 7:57am

Hi and thank you! You might consider checking out an organization called Action for Healthy Kids (www.ActionforHealthyKids.org). I'm thrilled to work here and passionate about what we do! We're the largest grassroots network partnering with schools to help our kids learn to eat right, be active and stay ready to learn. We have a Team of volunteers at work here in Indiana (and all states), successful projects from around the country and programs help our kids learn to be healthier. You can search for resources that migth be helpful to you at http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/resources.php.
Info on how parents and community members can get involved and work with schools is at http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/community_Partnerships.php.
If you're interested in connecting with our Indiana team, please let me know!
If you haven't been in touch with them, there is a national Farm to School organization - www.farmtoschool.org.
Another group you might want to look at is the Food Trust in Philly -- www.thefoodtrust.org

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Permalink Reply by roy g. Jones on May 7, 2009 at 8:03am

Great Idea. Most IPS schools end the year late may and are not back in session until late August. This really prevents a lot. I am a former IPS teacher who planted a small garden with a group of students. I ended up tending the garden in the summer.

Secondly, IPS is never going to buy food from local farm markets. Too expensive. You are looking at a school system that is strapped for money. 300 teachers and 40 administrators have been pinked slipped. I could be a possibility with a substantial grant which you should be prepared to write.

I like your idea and I am sure it would work on some scale but I do have many reservations about its sustainability.

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Permalink Reply by John M. Feeney on May 7, 2009 at 8:06am

For me, I think this is LONG over-due. Anything that can get kids away from Video games, TV and Computer Screens out in the fresh air, get their hands dirty and teach the basic fundamentals of creating something with their HANDS should be supported by every parent.

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Permalink Reply by Carol Lukemeyer on May 7, 2009 at 8:17am

I have some mixed feelings about this. I love the sound of it -- intercity kids getting a chance to be on the grounds and learn about gardening. But there are a couple of things that really bother me.

Is the goal "to drastically improve the quality of the food that IPS Schools are serving to our children" part of the IMA's mission? While the mission mentions "exploration of the natural environment" and such a program could fit into that, then that should be the stated goal of the program, not "improving food quality in IPS."

As a parent whose kids (now grown) went to School 70, Shortridge and Broad Ripple, I gotta say there is just a taint of snobbery to the sound of the program. I challenge you to find an IMA board member whose kids attended IPS. I suspect you will not find many IMA staff members who are IPS parents either. So the "our children" rings false to me. "We won't send our kids to IPS but we'll tell you where you should buy food and what to feed them."

Yes, the food in IPS is lacking. But so is a reasonable budget to maintain the schools, educate children with more challenges than anyone can possibly imagine and to feed them before and during school to boot. If you want to help the nutrition of the IPS kids, then I would suggest you support Gleaners Pack-a-Sack program.

My two cents.

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Permalink Reply by Carol Lukemeyer on May 7, 2009 at 8:56am

Okay, that was totally cranky -- only one cup of coffee. I guess I would rather see such a program right in the neighborhoods where the kids live and involve the whole family, not just the kids. Provide the supplies and teach the families how to can the food too. Many years ago there was a canning program in the city. Having that in conjunction with neighborhood gardens would be great. And, I still can't figure out why the IMA is getting into the mix when there are organizations in place with missions that are a better match.

Sorry for the negativity.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa Schaefer on May 7, 2009 at 8:35am

I think it would be a great idea for a High School/Middle Schools to Tend and Harvest some of their foods. My idea of the program would be to have the Ag class or FFA grow crops.. tomatoes, lettuce, ect.. and then offer them at lunch on a salad bar or such. It would also encourage agriculture. In southern Indiana this would be a very popular class to take because quite a few families are farmers. FFA is a pretty poplar group here in our part of the county. The garden would have to be planned so that if there was a surplus it could be sold at like a Farmer's market, or given to the grade schools.

Just an idea..

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