News : V-S to serve foods produced locally on October 11, Iowa Local Food Day

An effort is underway to work with local producers to provide fresh foods from area growers.

On Friday, October 11, Iowa Local Food Day the Vinton Shellsburg schools will be serving a selection of foods that have been grown and produced in Iowa.

Katherine Stuelke is working with the school to help with sustainability.

The goal of the school district is to provide more locally grown foods and locally raised meat.

Vinton-Shellsburg is a recipient of a Farm to School grant from the USDA which will help in planning the program in the district.

The Farm to School chapter has been active for the last 4 years and includes community members, farmers, livestock producers, Iowa State Extension and produce growers and others.

Connecting students to the source of their food is an important aspect of the Farm to School program.

The school featured locally sourced food during the back to school night for tasting. There will be a meeting on Thursday, the 17th at 6:00 pm. at the Benton County Service Center (the former old West building) in the community room for growers and producers that might want to be part of the program.

There has been a lot of interest in the program and the school is looking for farmers who are able to provide the schools with set amounts of fruits and vegetables at set times throughout the school year. Some area residents have been donating produce for the school's use at the salad bar as well.

The National Farm to School Network began in 2007 and according to the website their purpose is to be an "information, advocacy and networking hub for communities working to bring local food sourcing, school gardens, food and agriculture education into schools" and is still of interest to many schools today.

Vinton-Shellsburg strives to make school lunches nutritious as well as fresh and the school continues to strive to bring more locally grown foods into lunchtime by identifying partners that can assist in the effort. (to see October Menu click here)

With school budgets limited, the challenge is often in finding foods that will word financially for the schools. Several area growers have been interested in possibly expanding their gardens and fields to supply the school district with needed produce.

Just like home, the challenge is in preparing the foods for the student's enjoyment. The staff trains to prepare various foods.

The school is excited about the farm to school program and the possibilities that it provides.