It’s no secret that our team is a big fan of all things Farm to School...so it probably won’t come as a surprise that we took our #SupportLocal efforts to the next level during National Farm to School Month!
Thanks to Feed Our Future and the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, several of our schools were awarded grant funding for Local Menu Takeover Days. The recipients included:
Fairview Park City Schools
Brecksville-Broadview Heights City Schools
Minerva Local School District
Plain Local City School District
Garfield Heights City Schools
Each school was asked to serve 4 signature local recipes and establish their own plan for execution with FOF & PPLLC support. In Garfield Heights, we decided to squeeze it all in to October & make it a month-long celebration of Local by featuring a different recipe each week.
The (very abbreviated) step by step process:
Select the 4 recipes & decide what days they’ll be served
Work with district staff & ordering managers to track invoices & utilize grant funding appropriately
Determine marketing & communication plans to showcase local efforts to families & students
Spread the word! Every week we shared the featured recipe on social media and mark it with the signature “Local Takeover” Sticker in the grab & go bags.
Want to start shopping local, but you don’t want to overhaul your menu? That’s okay! We know that shopping local may not work for everyone’s budget, but you can start with simple steps, like committing to purchasing only local apples or lettuce!