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Ventura County Farm to School highlights local food purchasing and nutrition lessons in district schools
Summary
Ventura County Farm to School representatives told the board the nonprofit helped secure over $2,000,000 in county grant funding and that the district purchased more than $325,000 of local produce this school year, accounting for about 60% of the district's produce budget.
At Item 8.2 the district’s food service director introduced representatives from Ventura County Farm to School, who summarized the nonprofit’s work supplying local produce and nutrition education across the county.
Joe Padilla, the district food services director, said the district has purchased over $325,000 of local produce this school year, representing roughly 60% of the produce budget. Anna Jackson, identified in the presentation as executive director of Ventura County Farm to School, told the board the nonprofit has helped bring over $2,000,000 in grant funding to Ventura County to expand local food hubs and hands-on nutrition education.
Cassandra Espinosa, a nutrition and garden educator, described garden lessons, a 'Salad Bar Superstar' lesson for TK and kindergarten classes, 'Eat the Rainbow' taste tests, farm field trips for cafeteria staff and a series of monthly 'harvest of the month' activities that rotate produce across schools. She said the program partners with local farms including Asorio Family Farms, Carranza Family Farms and El Camino Ghetto (names as stated in the presentation).
Jackson invited board members to suggest data points they want collected in future years and emphasized the program’s dual focus on building student nutrition knowledge and supporting local farm economies. The presentation was informational and did not include a board action to change food-service policy or purchasing contracts.
