 The Rhode Island Farm to School Project
The Rhode Island Farm to School Project, coordinated by Kids First, is a collaboration between the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management/Division of Agriculture, the Rhode Island Department of Health, the Rhode Island Department of Education, Farm Fresh Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Farm Bureau, Southside Community Land Trust, Rhode Island public and independent schools and Rhode Island farmers.
The Rhode Island Farm to School Project encourages all Rhode Island school districts to buy locally grown foods to serve in school meals.
Print: Rhode Island Farm to School Brochure
Rhode Island Farm to School 2008-2010 Goals
Rhode Island Farm to School Educational Programs
Connect the kids in your your school district to Rhode Island farms! Kids First Staff can work with you to create a customized educational program at your school to help students, staff and the school community understand why eating fresh Rhode Island farm products are important to children's health and our local economy. Email Kimberly Sporkmann, Kids First Farm to School Specialist to learn more.
Winning artwork & essays from the "What's So Great About RI Grown Contest".
Special Student Thank Yous For Farm Visits - "I loved the pumpkin picking, but no offense, I did not like the llamas" & "I loved the hay ride when we got stuck in the mud and tipped over"
2009 Farm to School Harvest Celebrations!
 Middle School Students Help Shuck Sweet Corn for Lunches in Aramark Cafeteria- Students at Archie Cole Middle School in East Greenwich helped prepare some of this season's corn harvest for their school lunches. The sweet corn came from Confreda Farms in Cranston. The students learned that sweet corn is picked when the kernels are immature and it is eaten as a vegetable rather than a grain. They also got to experience first hand how to prepare the corn for a meal direct from the farm!
 Students Pick, Prepare and Eat their Lunch - As part of a grant-funded Pawtuxet Village Farmers Market/Farm to School Program, Cranston middle schoolers learned first hand about why it is important (and yummy) to eat locally grown veggies - especially freshly picked Cranston green beans! The program included a tasting of 3 different green bean recipes in the cafeteria, with students voting on a favorite. Then the students toured a local farm to pick green beans for that winning recipe. One class worked with Food Service Director Mike Marrocco to prepare the green bean dish for the rest of the students at the school.
 Locally Grown Week from Chartwells - To celebrate the harvest, East Bay School Districts serviced by Chartwells participated in an event promoting local produce in the cafeterias. The weeklong event, called "It Takes You - Eat Local", helped create awareness of the health benefits of eating Rhode Island locally grown foods. Apples, tomatoes, corn, peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, cabbage and eggplants were served in nearly 40 school cafeterias. Farms supplying produce for the event included Young Family Farm, Steere Orchards and Confreda Farms.
 Fresh Start - Sodexo Serves Jamestown Students The 15-Mile Menu - Jamestown elementary and middles school students were served a lunch made up of items supplied by local farms and food producers. The 15 Mile Menu featured produce from Shartner Farms, Casey Farm, breads from Village Hearth bakery and Rhody Fresh milk and local eggs from Little Rhody Foods. Local beekeepers were also on hand to help educate the kids about local food production and the importance of local farms.
Eating Healthy on a Budget Workshops
Bring the Rhode Island Grown message to your school community with the Kids First "Eating Healthy on a Budget" workshops. Learn how to use fresh Rhode Island grown foods to easily prepare inexpensive and nutritious meals.
We are presenting this workshop again this fall using RI Grown foods from the bountiful autumn harvest. Email Kids First to schedule an "Eating Healthy on a Budget" workshop for your school community.
Rhode Island Farm to School Tours
Kids First hosted Farm Tours at local farms for Food Service Directors to meet and talk with Rhode Island farmers this summer.
We continue to work closely with every school district and their produce distributors so that RI-grown products can get into the distribution channels and be enjoyed by our RI students in their school meals programs. Thanks to everyone for their support of this important program.
A very special thank you to our Rhode Island Farm to School funders for their generous support - The Sharpe Family Foundation, The Carter Family Foundation, The Jessie B. Cox Charitable Lead Trust, Northeast Farm Credit, The RI Department of Environmental Management Farm Viability Grant, The Van Beuren Family Foundation, The Congressional Hunger Center Victory Against Hunger Award and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island.
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 FARMER TRADING CARDS
Meet some of the people who grow and produce foods for our schools. Visit a farm and get your Farmer Trading Card signed by a farmer! (Printing instructions below)
Tyler Young, Young Family Farm
Jim Steere, Steere Orchard
Pete Peckham, Ferolbink Farm
Vinny Confreda, Confreda Greenhouses & Farms
Joe Polseno, Pippin Orchard
Schartner Family Farm
Michele Kozloski, Zephyr Farm
Jeff Tanner, Knight Farm
Mary Ellen Smith, Harmony Farms
Wayne Salisbury, Salisbury Farms
Allison Molis, Jaswell's Farm
Robert Goodwin, Goodwin Brothers Farm
Allan Hill, Hill Orchards
Gil Barden Jr., Barden Family Orchards
To print Trading Cards 4 to a page, open pdf at 100% size, set page scaling to "none" & be sure that you are using 8 1/2" x 11" card stock, double-sided.
Farm to School Other Links & Printables
Rhode Island Produce Available By Season
List of Participating Rhode Island Farm to School Farmers
"Get Fresh. Buy Local." -statewide Rhode Island-grown campaign to promote awareness of and interest in buying RI-grown specialty crops.
List of Farmer's Markets around Rhode Island from Farm Fresh RI
Try RI Fruit & Veggie POSTERS:
Apples
Greens
Lettuce
Potatoes
Strawberries
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