Virginia Farm to School THIS WEEK!

We are so excited and proud to support Virginia Farm-to-School Week by supplying 17 regional public and private schools with fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, meat and cheese. Participating schools include: Charlottesville City Schools (Clark, Jackson-Via, and Johnson Elementary Schools), Albemarle County Schools (Greer Elementary, Hollymead Elementary and Sutherland Middle), Greene County Schools (Greene County Primary, Nathanael Greene Elementary, Ruckersville Elementary, William Monroe Middle and William Monroe High), St. Anne’s Belfield, Montessori Community School, Charlottesville Day School and the University of Virginia.

Alan says, “We’re supplying schools with a diversity of fresh produce, including apples, kale, cauliflower, winter squash, potatoes, radishes, lettuce, eggs, cheese and ground beef, all grown and produced right here in central Virginia. By building this relationship between our local schools and farms, we are also providing fresher, healthier lunches, helping to fight childhood obesity, and creating opportunities to teach our kids about biology, geography, health and local economics."

“In addition to helping our kids understand where their food comes from, Farm-to-School week is also an opportunity to support our local farmers, “ adds Kate.

“Virginia schools spend more than $6 million annually on fresh produce – this gives us an opportunity to keep those dollars in our state, supporting our local economy. The Local Food Hub is excited to participate this year and we hope that eventually, local foods will find a permanent place on Virginia’s school menus.”

The Farm-to-School program, developed by the Virginia Department of Education and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, is an initiative seeking to bring nutritious fresh food from local farms to schools. The program promotes a range of opportunities for schools, distributors and growers to work together to increase the volume of locally grown products served in school cafeterias.