As a supplement to my educational goals, I am embarking on a volunteer program through the Food System Economic Partnership, a non profit organization based in Ann Arbor. FSEP's main goal is to promote the economic viability of Michigan farmers. Part of how they accomplish this is by connecting farmers with institutions such as our schools, colleges, and hospitals. The Farm to School program is an extension of FSEP which focuses on direct partnerships with school districts to get fresh, locally grown farm foods into their lunch programs.
As an FSEP intern, I am being given the opportunity to create my own education pilot program in a school district currently working with FSEP to implement the Farm to School program. My program will be aimed at educating the students and their parents about the benefits of the Farm to School Program and to teach them about good nutrition. Not sure yet what district I will be working in but I'm really excited to get started.
Today was sort of Day #1 for me in this journey. I went to the FSEP Annual Conference in Jackson where I attended workshops and lectures about local farming, the current state of school lunch programs, and how 15 progressive, competitive school districts spanning across 5 counties are causing a lunch revolution in the State of Michigan. I'm reviewing my notes tonight and thinking about everything I learned, and later I'll post a blog about some of those things.
