Yolo County Farm to School
What we feed our children in our schools and what we
teach them about food matters.
What if…
- all school cafeterias supported the Yolo County economy?
- all children understood how they can effect change in the food system?
- all children knew how local food is grown and cooked?
- all children had year-round access to nourishing meals?
This can be more than just an ideal vision.
We want to see this happen in Yolo County
Almost 30,000 children in Yolo County eat school food five days a week, getting up to half their calories from school lunch, school breakfast, and school snack. What we feed our children in our schools and what we teach them about food matters. It impacts how they grow, how they learn, what they will feed their own families, and how long they live.
Two excellent Farm to School programs are currently operating in the Winters and Davis school districts. You can learn more about their work by visiting their websites.
School Is Where It All Starts
Farm to school programs play a valuable role in supporting student health, creating positive attitudes about school and learning, and fostering enhanced academic achievement.
Food education can help us address critical issues facing our community – public health, social inequalities, and our changing climate.
Connecting students in food and nature through gardening and cooking builds their understanding of where our food comes from, how our local food system works, and how to steward our natural resources.
Together we can educate and nourish the students in Yolo County for generations to come!
Where do we start?
Farm to school programming is complex. There are many ways we can create change, but we need to find the right ones for our county. We need to act strategically and coordinate our efforts with many stakeholders and organizations.
Yolo County Farm to School will be assessing the current state of farm to school programming so that we fully understand the unique interests and needs of each school. We will support educators, food service directors, farmers, and community members in cultivating healthy farm and food connections in cafeterias and classrooms across Yolo County.
Our educational outreach and networking services will engage participants and provide resources that will focus on their unique interests and needs. We will provide ideas and examples and guide participants toward solutions that fit their situations.
Yolo County Farm to School resources will include
- Strategies for local purchasing & procurement
- Ideas & examples for seasonal menu planning
- Farm to School programming promotion & community engagement
- Farm to School team facilitation
- Strategies for engagement with local stakeholders and community members
- Strategies for ensuring that school gardens are sustainable
Through our work we will
- Demonstrate the economic value of farm to school programming to Yolo County
- Increase the capacity for farm to school coordination through professional development and easy access to resources
- Help identify ways to give youth a voice in farm to school programming to help facilitate change
- Illustrate the importance of environmental sustainability and the role of agriculture in the local food system
Who We Are
Randii MacNear
President
Ann Trump Daniel
Secretary
Cathleen Olsen
Treasurer
Yolo County Farm to School is always looking to engage community members to serve on our Board of Directors. Are you interested in learning more about serving on our board? If interested, please send us an email at info@yolocountyfarmtoschool.org or mail us at 228 B Street Davis, CA 95616.
Support Us
The benefits of farm to school programming are well documented for the children who participate, but there are many indirect benefits for entire families—young and old—and for the financial well-being of local agricultural workers and the entire agricultural economy.
Please support us and help nourish all members of our community for generations to come.
Send your tax deductible contributions to:
Yolo County Farm to School
228 B Street
Davis, CA 95616
Yolo County Farm to School is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.
EIN # 88-374-0521
Contact Yolo County Farm to School
You can help us in our initiatives to connect Yolo County educators, food service professionals, farmers, community members, and students to nutritious local school food and to build strong ties to our local agricultural economy. Together we can bring Farm to School programming to every school in Yolo County. To learn more, please contact us.