Articles
Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch
A farm-to-school program for Madison's public schools
Every day, thousands of Madison children line up for breakfast and lunch at school. School meals are a significant part of their daily food consumption—and for many children, they may be the day’s only source of nutritious food. Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch believes that our school children, regardless of income level, should have access to Wisconsin’s highest quality agricultural products.
Like other farm-to-school programs around the country, Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch helps children reconnect with their natural world, strengthens links between the classroom and the community, and fosters a stable market for local farmers and processors.
Currently, Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch is piloting a farm-to-school program in three Madison elementary schools. Hands-on activities will provide teachers and students with a critical educational link between the classroom and the lunchroom. Proposed supportive activities include field trips to farms, classroom visits by farmers, taste-testing local food, school-wide food fairs and local meals, lunchroom composting and recycling, school gardening, curricula enrichment, and art projects focused on themes of food and community.
We are working with the Madison Metropolitan School District’s food services department and local growers and processors to identify barriers and opportunities for purchasing and preparing local, fresh products that are consistent with National School Lunch Program nutritional requirements.
Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch is a joint project of the REAP (Research, Education, Action and Policy) Food Group and CIAS. This project has been initially supported by a grant from the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SARE) and by the North Central Initiative for Small Farm Profitability.
For up-to-date information on Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch activities and farm-to-school events around the country, visit www.reapfoodgroup.org/farmtoschool.
For more information, contact Doug Wubben.