Carrollton City Schools Honored at State Capitol for Serving More Local Food to Students

March 5, 2013 – ATLANTA. Carrollton City Schools were recognized Tuesday at the state capitol for their participation in the 5 Million Meals campaign, a statewide effort to get more local food in schools.

Carrollton City School’s nutrition director, Linette Dodson, pledged to support her local economy and local farmers by increasing the amount of local food served to her students through farm to school programs, and for this Carrollton was one of 25 school districts awarded the Golden Radish award.

State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge, Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black, and Georgia Organics Board President Rashid Nuri honored these Georgia school districts for taking the “5 Million Meals Challenge” and pledging to serve more local food in their cafeterias.

In 2011, thanks to the hard work of dozens of Farm to School advocates, 3 million meals featuring locally produced food were served in more than 650 Georgia schools as part of a program to teach children where their food comes from and why that matters, and inspire them to eat more fruits and vegetables.

In October 2012, Georgia Organics and its partners launched the 5 Million Meals Challenge, a statewide effort to get 5 million meals made with locally grown food served in K-12 cafeterias across Georgia.
At this morning’s ceremony at the capitol, Dr. Barge and Commissioner Black presented the schools and school systems that have taken the 5 Million Meals pledge with “The Golden Radish Award.” The school districts were honored with resolutions in the state Senate and House of Representatives.

“Children learn better when their bodies and minds are fueled by nutritional meals. This program helps create a better school environment so that students can reach new heights academically,” said Dr. Barge. “It also helps us expose children to science through agriculture. We must teach our children about an industry that is so critical to Georgia’s economy in order to inspire the next generation of farmers and agricultural scientists.”

“With great programs such as the Five Million Meals Challenge and Feed My School for week, students will discover the importance of agriculture through learning about the process that brings local produce and goods from an area farm to the cafeteria table, while at the same time receiving a healthy, delicious meal,” said Commissioner Gary W. Black. “These programs not only allow children more healthy alternatives and promote local producers, but also bring communities together for a great cause.”

The Centers for Disease Control has identified Farm to School as a key strategy in addressing childhood obesity. But it’s not just scientists and policymakers who are interested in farm to school – these programs are being implemented on the ground by thousands of people in Georgia.

School gardens are the fun and public “face” of Farm to School, but there’s much more to it than that. Thriving Farm to School programs feature teachers who incorporate growing food into the curriculum, and parents who volunteer an hour or two to help weed that school garden.

Farm to School also involves chefs from the community conducting taste tests with students and farmers connecting directly with the schools by hosting farm tours or making guest appearances on days when their food will be featured in the cafeteria.

And most importantly, it means that the nutrition staff – the dedicated workers planning and preparing the cafeteria food – take the extra time to plan and prepare healthy, local food that students love to eat.