USDA Farm to School Team Site Visit

AmericaCorps VISTA volunteer, Laura Zientek, helps serve a special menu of the day created by local chef, Kirk Conrad, at Boston Public Schools (MA).

Boston School District in Boston, Massachusetts

In Boston Public Schools (BPS), community partnerships are helping sow the seeds for a successful Farm to School experience. From facilitating an initial Farm to School feasibility assessment to engaging youth in the cafeteria about nutritious food choices, community partnerships, along with district commitment, play an important role in the ongoing successes of the district’s Farm to School efforts.

On June 8-9, 2010, the USDA Farm to School Team visited BPS in Boston, Massachusetts. BPS consists of 135 schools and uses a combination of self-operating kitchens and vended meals to serve roughly 35,000 meals per day. Approximately 74% of BPS students are eligible for free or reduced priced meals.

The initial Farm to School seed was planted with a feasibility assessment in 2007. A local nonprofit organization partnered with the BPS to conduct the assessment, which identified interest levels, existing barriers, potential challenges, opportunities, and action steps. Encouraged by the assessment process, BPS continued down the road towards procuring local produce and helping students to better understand where their food comes from. In 2009, BPS brought on a Farm to School Coordinator to assist with implementation and strategic planning; a key first step to ensuring success. The Coordinator, who works closely with the Food Service Director, handles all of the logistics for the district’s Farm to School activities.

BPS’ vision for Farm to School is to change the current culture around school meals and use the cafeteria as an extension of the classroom to educate students about making healthier food choices. The district started their efforts slowly by piloting their Farm to School activities in the 2008-09 school year. BPS purchased locally grown fruits and vegetables and featured them as the “Harvest of the Month” special in ten schools across the district. In 2009, two AmeriCorps VISTA members joined the district’s efforts by providing additional support for educational programming and procurement logistics.

Local produce is purchased from farms located approximately one hundred miles west of the city of Boston in the Pioneer Valley. These connections were facilitated by the Massachusetts Farm to School Project, which is sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, and dedicated to fostering relationships between schools and producers. During the first year produce was delivered to the BPS directly by the farmers. Since then the district has been able to contract with distributors to deliver locally grown produce to selected schools. Some of the locally grown items served on the lunch line include apples, cabbage, carrots collard greens, pears, pea shoots, rutabaga, squash, strawberries and sweet potatoes.

Working with a local nonprofit, the BPS hosts a professional guest chef throughout the year. The guest chef rotates between five schools within the district, helping prepare meals one day per week in each site. The culinary expert works with the cafeteria staff to develop unique, healthy dishes using a combination of local produce, conventional products, and USDA commodity foods. The chef initiative has been praised by students and teachers alike.

Boston Public Schools has enthusiastic Farm to School staff and strong community partnerships, and is planning to build on these assets to expand their Farm to School efforts in the coming years.
 

Last Modified: 02/21/2012