What Kids Can Do: The Experience Food Project
Posted May 22, 2009 at 8:04 am by Ian Byington
The EFP has been a smashing success this year - and other schools are looking at imitating it.
My friend Ruthie Paull at FHHS mentioned to me that there’s an awesome writeup about our school district’s Experience Food Project online at What Kids Can Do….click here to check it out! It’ll make you proud you live here…
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Categories: Schools
2 comments:
2 comments...
I am writing in support of the Experience Food Project, (EFP), and their partnership with San Juan Island School District to provide healthy and delicious breakfasts and lunches to students and staff members in the Friday Harbor Schools.
Even though Friday Harbor is a scenic destination with an affluent population, many of our children do not have access to adequate food. What they eat at school is frequently as close as they come to a balanced diet. There are many reasons for this that are not addressed by our food bank or other social service agencies.
A few years ago, I was the director for the summer day camp in Friday Harbor. I saw children who were kept home from camp because there was no food to send for a sack lunch. On many occasions I watched siblings share one Cup a Soup for lunch. Other children brought only a high sugar drink and a bag of chips. During the school year, cafeteria lunch was not much better.
Before EFP, school lunches consisted of highly processed foods filled with sugar, salt, and high fructose corn syrup. Tater tots came in a large variety of shapes and fresh greens and fruits were absent altogether at the elementary level. Cafeteria lunch was not popular and the food program was losing money. I’m not sure if it is making money at this time, but I do know that eating in the cafeteria is definitely popular and definitely healthy.
I stopped by the elementary school a few weeks ago and watched as a group of students begged the chef for leftovers from the salad bar. They wanted more of the bananas and other fresh ingredients they had just eaten for lunch. I asked them if they ate in the cafeteria often and what was their favorite dish. The response was enthusiastic as they shouted their top choices. Chili, pizza, stew, soup and grilled cheese were the menu items that got the loudest raves. The best part is that all of this food is whole food. It is not processed! The food is actually made in the school kitchen. Most of the food is local. It is not shipped in from another country or even another state. Our children are eating quality local food and they like it.
This is where a quality education program must begin. Our children can now eat well and be better prepared for all of the mental, emotional and physical challenges that are an inherent part of the educational process. But the EFP doesn’t stop there. It goes on to teach the students and community about good nutrition.
For the first time, many parents are becoming aware of the importance of good nutrition and just what good nutrition looks like. It is my hope that the EFP will be able to continue as a part of our educational system and, that their influence in the community continues to grow as we work together to promote good health, strong bodies and high intellect among our youth.
The EFP is the greatest thing this schhool district has done for our kids. If you haven’t eaten at school, go by and check it out. Great.
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