Farm-to-School Pilot Programs

Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance announces two Farm-to-School Pilot Programs

With support from the Government of Ontario, the Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance is embarking on two pilot programs that will bring more local food and farming education to students and families in Dufferin County, Caledon and Erin.

Classroom workshops will be offered initially to a limited number of schools, and delivered by farmers from the same Headwaters communities. The curriculum-linked modules will be available for kindergarten through grade 6 and feature activities that explore various aspects of the local food system.

To extend the learning to home, the group is also organizing a local food club, where individuals or families can purchase memberships and receive monthly packages containing food samples, information about seasonal food and producers in the Headwaters region, as well as recipes and nutritional information. Packages will be distributed through participating schools.

“The Farm to School Workshops and Food Club are excellent opportunities for students to learn about food from the ground up and how easy it is to support local farmers. What a fantastic way to teach kids lifelong skills in a fun and practical way.” says Anita Macfarlane from The Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington, a co-applicant for the grant along with Headwaters Communities in Action.

Karen Campbell from Everdale Farm, a program partner, says: “One of the most dramatic and positive things you can do for the environment is to connect children to food and farming. Through an examination of the local food system students uncover not only the environmental side effects of their food choices, but also the personal health effects and the social effects that are distributed on a global scale. From this vantage point students can begin to conceptualize the food economy, start to develop a sense of positive food ethic, and find ways that they can contribute to a more sustainable solution.”

Parents, teachers and farmers are invited to visit HFFA at the fall fairs, including the Orangeville Fall Fair August 29-31, 2014 at the Agricultural Fairgrounds, to learn more about these pilot programs as well as the organization’s other works.

Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance, a project of Headwaters Communities In Action, is a collaborative initiative with a vision to foster the local food system. Visit HFFA.ca and find them on Facebook and Twitter@HeadwatersFood.

For more information, to get involved, to make a donation or help fundraise for these projects, contact Program Coordinator Jennifer Payne at 519-925-1851 or use the form below: