Farm to Cafeteria Connections

Previous Profiles

VISTA volunteer having a squashing good time advertising the fundraiser at Morning Star Elementary

03/15/10 ~ Gallatin Valley Farm to School (GVF2S) was started in February 2007 by committed and concerned parents and community members. Today, GVF2S is a collaboration between many organizations, such as parent councils from area schools, Bozeman School District Food Service, Montana Outdoor Science School, the Community Food Co-op, Montana State University, and Grow Montana's FoodCorps VISTA program. Gallatin Valley Farm to School is currently a project of
Hopa Mountain.

GVF2S focuses their energy in three areas:

• Procurement. Working with Bozeman School District Food Services, GVF2S seeks out producers who are interested and able to provide food to the schools.
In order to find local vendors they created the Food Map, which is a spreadsheet of producers who are intereseted in working with the schools.
• Student Education campaign. Where does your food come from? This program educates students on how their food choices impact personal health, the environment and the economy. GVF2S will be working with schools, organizations, parents, and other community members to make activities and materials available to students. They also support every school having a school garden that can be utilized as a living laboratory. Part of their student education campaign is the From Farms to School Fundraiser. This fundraiser, which was piloted in Fall 2008 by Team Nutrition, replaces unhealthy school fundraiser products with Montana-made local foods such as huckleberry preserves and syrups, lentils and barley, cereals, olive oil, butter, and fresh product from MSU's campus farm. These Montana-made products will be sold by six elementray schools in Fall 2009.
• Public/parent outreach and networking. To fulfill our mission, GVF2S must work with community members, and organizations who are already doing similar work. Valuable partnerships will ensure that any project GVF2S takes on will continue in the future.

Interested in getting involved? Have questions? Want to join our mailing list? Visit us online at www.gvfarmtoschool.org or email us at lunchbox@gvfarmtoschoo.org.

10/30/09 ~ Livingston HealthCare, Becoming the First Montana Farm to Restaurant Hospital

Livingston HealthCare became the first hospital to join the Montana Farm to Restaurant Campaign in June 2007, bringing locally-produced foods to patients, visitors, and staff. In an effort led by Jessica Wilcox, MS, RD, LN, Food and Nutrition Services Manager, the organization made a significant culture change that included the use of local and regional foods, replacing plastic and Styrofoam containers and utensils with post-consumer, biodegrable alternatives, and transitioning to a homemade menu, virtually eliminating pre-packaged and processed foods.

"We are here to promote our patients' health and I want to ensure that they get healthy, nutrient-dense foods to support their recovery," said Wilcox. While there have been benefits to patients, along the way there have been other benefits as well. Tastier, healthier food has resulted in serving more meals. The increase in revenue for the cafeteria offset the slightly higher cost of making everything from scratch. The program has also created jobs at the hospital and helped local ranchers and farmers increase their own revenue. Indreland Ranch, a local beef producer, has seen an increase in sales of 19% since October 2007.

As with any big change, there have been challenges. In this case cost and delivery options have been the primary barriers. However, as more organizations make the choice to add locally-produced foods, and the demand for these products increases, these challenges lessen. Livingston HealthCare is proud to be at the forefront of this movement in healthcare, serving as a model for other hospitals as well as the Park County community.

3/17/09 ~ Missoula Farm to School Program

For the past three years the Missoula Country Public Schools (MCPS) have been pursuing a very exciting Farm to School program. In addition to purchasing fresh and healthy local foods, they use in-class activities to teach students about Montana's food system and healthy eating habits. In addition, Missoula Farm to School offers central kitchen tours so students can learn how their school meals are made, they also do taste-tests of seasonal foods, as well as bring local farmers into the classroom so students can connect with those who grow their food. During the last school year they spent more than $233,000 on local foods which amounted to 26% of their food purchases. This year, the Farm to School program has brought local foods to three new high schools in the district, as well as four schools participating in the Fresh Fruits & Vegetables program. Although this year's low crop yields have created a supply problem, they have been able to add local plums, peaches, and apples to the menu. To learn more about this program visit: www.umt.edu/cfa/farmtoschool_missoula.htm or contact: Lauren Amato-Farm to School Coordinator at (406) 274-0437.

Ed Christensen preparing local peaches for lunch

"With Farm to School we serve the same or better products using less resources, supporting local jobs, and feeding our kids better."
Val Addis
Supervisor of Food & Nutrition Services

"One of our goals is to have fresh fruits and vegetables everyday. Who doesn't want to support kids with good local foods?"
Ed Christensen
Assistant Supervisor of Food & Nutrition Services