Schools are increasingly relying on local farms for their cafeteria meals in the search for fresh produce for children.
The New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher hopes to encourage this partnership with Farm to School Week, which starts this Monday, September 22. The week will feature events across the state celebrating partnerships between farms and schools.
“We applaud the schools that have worked to incorporate more nutritious Jersey Fresh fruits and vegetables into their meal programs,” Fisher said in a press release. “Farm to School Week celebrates how far we’ve come and looks forward to bringing more local produce to New Jersey school children in the future.”
The kick-off event will be held Tuesday at Anthony V. Ceres Elementary School in Perth Amboy, which has committed to serving local produce in its school meals. On Wednesday, students at Salem County Career and Technical High School can sample salsa, tour the garden and buy from the mobile farmers market truck.
Friday finishes the week in South Hunterdon High School, where Tiffany Morey’s Plant Science class is working on an edible wall. Other schools throughout the state are also planning events.
For more information, click here.
By Erin Petenko
Erin Petenko, a Journalism major at Rutgers University, is a native of Edison in Middlesex County. She has a passion for traveling and eating – and combining the two! Her favorite foods include Indian, Thai, and Jersey Shore boardwalk food. Outside of class, she works as editor for Rutgers’ newspaper, The Daily Targum. She would love to continue to share her passion for traveling and exploring both new locales and new dishes beyond college.
