Why Local Food in Schools?
Sourcing food from local farms has many benefits. You are getting the freshest, most nutritious food for your students. You are keeping dollars in the local economy. And it’s a way to help connect children (and their families) to where their food comes from and tell the story of the place they live.
The Growing Minds program defines local food in schools through the following three pillars:
Create a Listing in ASAP’s Local Food Guide:
Is your school system or child care center currently sourcing food from local farms? Would you like to source more locally grown/raised food? School systems, child care centers, and educational institutions located in ASAP’s 60-county Appalachian Grown region can create a free institutional listing in ASAP’s online Local Food Guide. Being listed in ASAP’s Local Food Guide will help you connect with local family farms who need buyers for their products, while also recognizing the important work your school is doing to support local food systems and connect children to local food and farms.
Ready to get in the guide? The 30-minute video below will walk you through the steps of creating a Local Food Guide listing for your institution. Create your free Local Food Guide listing here. Contact us for assistance.
Equity in Local Food Purchasing:
Children begin to develop racial awareness and bias at a very young age. In an effort to create learning environments that are more diverse, inclusive, and reflective of our culturally diverse society, farm to school programs should follow equity-minded best practices. Visit our Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Bias resources page to view our full equity statement, find children’s books (including farm to school literature) that celebrate diverse voices, and access recommended external resources that can be used by both teachers and parents to teach children about race, diversity, and inclusion.