Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Farm To School topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
East Hartford expands Farm to School program with state grants, classroom and cafeteria growth
Summary
District staff and partners described expansion of gardens, classroom lessons and local purchasing funded in part by two Connecticut Department of Agriculture grants totaling about $125,000 and by a Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids award.
Carolyn Pankarowitz, a registered dietitian with Sodexo for East Hartford Public Schools, told the school board the Farm to School program aims to link cafeteria offerings, classroom education and community partnerships.
"Our hope tonight for you is to learn a little bit more about what Farm to School actually is at a broad level and to learn about how East Hartford is implementing Farm to School throughout the district," Pankarowitz said.
The program began about a decade ago in East Hartford, Pankarowitz said, and has grown to include school gardens, FoodCorps partnerships and a newly funded farm-to-school coordinator position. District staff told the board the coordinator post and program activities are supported by two Connecticut Department of Agriculture grants amounting to just under $125,000.
Emma Fettridge, a FoodCorps member who works in the district, said farm-to-school instruction reached students across elementary and middle grades since July 2024. "Since 07/01/2024 the East Hartford Farm to School team has taught 266 lessons to 1,137 students," Fettridge said.
The district described three existing outdoor gardens and plans to expand indoor and outdoor gardening at Pitkin Elementary, Woodland School and Sunset Ridge Middle School using a Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids grant. Students have also participated in taste tests in cafeterias; Farm to School staff said they completed 32 taste tests since last summer and have tripled the number of farm partners used by the district.
Student speaker Michael Atwater, a sixth grader at Sunset Ridge Middle School, described hands-on lessons in the garden. "Farm to School in East Hartford Public Schools has provided me with new opportunities to learn about the joy of food," he said.
Partners outlined classroom and cafeteria strategies: FoodCorps-led lessons, field trips (for example, to a sugar house and to Bridal Family Farm), and a district plan to use grant funds for a bulk freezer to preserve local produce for year-round use. UConn researcher Kate Zonner summarized evaluation findings from district interviews, noting benefits that included increased student familiarity with fruits and vegetables, classroom engagement and connections to STEM learning.
Farm to School staff asked the community to support the program by volunteering, attending events such as a garden bucket sale at Goodwin Elementary on May 14, and following program social media channels. The presenters provided an email contact and thanked the board for time at the meeting.
District staff did not request formal board action on the Farm to School presentation at this meeting.
