April each year usually sees the start of the veggie growing season and the start of the community programs for our low income families in Cumberland County.

This year the Extension ANR, FCS agents and myself (NEP Assistant) decided to do something different from the normal programs. They had applied for a farm to school grant and partnered with the Cumberland county farmers market and the county schools food service staff to be the liaison for local produce being bought for the school meals and to promote this with the community families. Most families in our county are low income families and most students did not know where their food came from.

The program was meant to help the local economy and to educate the community on how we can help to sustain healthy meals for our students in our schools for minimum cost and some physical work that also educates our students.

As part of these programs I assisted the middle school 21^st century program with the farm to school program which commenced last quarter before school got out for summer. I provided two classes per week with the first being a gardening class “Where does my food come from? “ the second class was a cooking class.”How do I Eat that?”

In the gardening class the students researched what crops they could grow in a raised bed at school that could be used by the school lunchroom. They problem solved on how to make a raised garden bed and what materials they needed and how much soil and plants. They assembled the raised bed themselves and planted their lettuce and strawberry plants. The students were very excited about doing the hands on activities and one said  “his father was a landscape gardener but he had never helped him do this type of thing” the Teacher was thrilled that the students were using their mathematical skills in real life problems .

In the elementary school 21^st century summer camp farm to school program they had lessons again on where their food comes from and they were responsible for growing their plants like real farmers, if the plants didn’t survive the farmers’ family would not have food on their table . They grew herbs in baskets/pots and onions and carrots in the raised bed. The teachers involved with this program were so enthusiastic about the program they asked if we could continue this into the next school year with a bigger stake in the connection between what the students grow and what the school lunchroom will use from their garden.