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Connecting Kids to Local Farms: The Farm to School Initiative in Hancock County, Maine

The Farm to School program in Hancock County, Maine, promotes healthy eating by linking local farms with schools. With support from Maine’s tobacco settlement, this initiative aims to improve children's health by providing fresh vegetables in school lunches, connecting students with their food sources, and supporting local agriculture. The program serves nine towns and involves collaboration among students, parents, and educators to enhance school menus and incorporate nutrition education. Together, we are building healthier communities one meal at a time.

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Connecting Kids to Local Farms: The Farm to School Initiative in Hancock County, Maine

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  1. Farm to School Kids, Farms, and Healthy Food in Maine’s Hancock County Heather Albert-Knopp, Healthy Acadia June 12, 2007

  2. Hancock County Farm to School • What is farm to school? • Why connect farms and schools? • What does farm to school look like on the local level? • How does it work? • What are the outcomes?

  3. A Healthy Maine Partnership • Funded in part by Maine’s tobacco settlement dollars • Directly serving nine towns in Hancock County • Linking people and organizations to build healthy communities

  4. Hancock County, Maine • Rural county of 53,660 • Population growing 1% each year -- influx of retirees to coastal towns • High-cost land and housing • Acreage of farmland declining; more small-scale niche farms • Approximately 7650 school students • 14.2% of those under 18 are below federal poverty level (2003)

  5. Photo Courtesy Bryan Gagner, www.bryangagnerphotography.com

  6. What is Farm to School?

  7. Why Farm to School? • Children’s health • Fresh vegetables in school lunches • Connect kids with the source of their food • Support local farms • With our dollars and through building community connections

  8. “We’re in the business of growing kids at our school, so it’s just a perfect fit with the farm to school program. We need to make decisions that are in the best interest of the kids.”Scott McFarland, PrincipalMount Desert Elementary

  9. What Does Farm to School Look Like?

  10. Changing the Menu • Salad Bar • Dilly-Buttered Fresh Carrots • Penne Pasta with Swiss Chard and White Beans • Roasted Root Vegetables • Vegetable Soup • Incorporate more fresh vegetables in existing menus

  11. Lessons Learned • Start Small – Try it out with one veggie • Collaborate – Students, cooks, parents, teachers, administrators, school boards • Incorporate Curriculum – Classroom and cafeteria complement each other • Enthusiasm and Readiness – Find farms and schools that want to work together, and are ready to try

  12. Lessons Learned • Price – Fair and reasonable for farmer and school • Expectations – Talk ahead of time about order/delivery schedules, invoicing, volume, product specifications, etc. • Processing Time – Chopping vegetables takes time! • Infrastructure – Food service staff may not have the tools they need

  13. Lessons Learned • Help interested farms and schools find each other and make the farm to school connection

  14. Thanks to our Partners! • The inspiring schools and farms in Maine and especially in Hancock County • University of Maine Cooperative Extension • Community Food Security Coalition • National Farm to School Program – www.farmtoschool.org • Northeast SARE • And thanks to ASTPHND and Joan Atkinson for inviting us here

  15. Check us out Online: www.healthyacadia.org/farmtoschool.html www.farmtoschool.org www.foodsecurity.org

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