State, Local Leaders Kick off 11th Annual Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week at Eldersburg Elementary School in Carroll County

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan has designated September 24-28 as Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week, a time when Maryland schools promote and serve local foods in the cafeteria.  Students in public schools across the state will get to experience fresh, Maryland-grown and produced food.

“Maryland is fortunate to have a robust agriculture industry that provides a variety of local fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy to our school systems,” said Governor Hogan. “By educating our youth about healthy, nutritious meals today, we are ensuring that our students will make better decisions about their diet in the future.”

This year marks the 11^th anniversary of Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week. At today’s statewide kickoff event, Principal Cindy Bell, along with students and teachers at Eldersburg Elementary School, hosted Maryland Agriculture Secretary Joe Bartenfelder; Maryland State Department of Education Chief Performance Officer Dr. Sylvia Lawson; Carroll County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Steven Lockard; and Carroll County Public Schools Supervisor of Food Services Karen Sarno. Students led guests on a tour of activities that included a presentation on dairy farming; FFA high school student-run stations including making butter in a jar, and tasting apples from Baugher’s Orchards; and the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation’s “Maryland Ag Products” mobile science lab.

After the tour, invited guests joined students in the school cafeteria to enjoy a lunch that featured local products. The menu included roasted potatoes from Wilke’s Family Farms in Hampstead; fresh melons, peppers and tomatoes from Deep Run Farms in Hampstead; apples, plums and peaches from Baugher’s Orchards in Westminster; cucumbers from Miller Farms in Clinton; and local milk from Dairy Maid Dairy in Frederick.

Local school districts across the state will celebrate 2018 Homegrown School Lunch Week by providing students with locally-sourced lunches and educational materials. A list of activities by county is available online. Some highlights include:

• Caroline County Public Schools’ “Maryland Farm to Tray” event at Federalsburg Elementary School on September 28. Culinary students will provide Maryland vegetable crab soup with crabmeat donated by J.M. Clayton Seafood Company in Cambridge. Caroline County will also become the first school system in the state to add blue catfish to its menu with the Caroline Blue Catfish Taco. This dish was created by the county’s culinary students and showcased at the 2018 Governor’s Buy Local Cookout. The event will also feature an oyster shucking and spat demo by Phillips Wharf Center.
• On Wednesday, September 26—in cooperation with Maryland Extension Service— Mary’s County Public Schools will celebrate Farm to School day at White Marsh Elementary. Students will rotate through three stations which include lessons on animal agriculture, nutrition, and planting/farming throughout the day and participate in hands-on activities for an interactive learning experience. The school lunch that day will highlight local produce purchased from the Loveville produce auction. The school will also welcome Farm to School’s mascot Maize –a horse made of corn husks!

The Homegrown School Lunch Week, an element of the Jane Lawton Farm to School Program, was signed into law in 2008. More information about Maryland’s Farm to School program, including educational materials, menus, places to find local products, brief video soundbook with photos and interviews, plus much more for parents, teachers, and food service staff, visit the Maryland Farm to School website. For information on the school meals programs, visit the Maryland State Department of Education website. More on the benefits of buying local is available online.

Maryland spends $18 million dollars annually on local products in school meal. Maryland ranks 9^th in the nation with the average school district spending 23 percent of their food budget on local products, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm to School Census.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 formally established a Farm to School Program within USDA to improve access to local foods in schools. In order to establish realistic goals with regard to increasing the availability of local foods in schools, in 2013, USDA conducted the first nationwide Farm to School Census. In 2015, USDA conducted a second Farm to School Census to measure progress towards reaching this goal.

Photos from today’s event at Eldersburg Elementary are available via Flickr.

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Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Joe Bartenfelder:
“Our farmers work hard every day to provide fresh, nutritious food that feeds people throughout our region. It is great to see our public school cafeterias taking advantage of the high-quality ingredients grown right here in Maryland.”

Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Salmon:
“Better nutrition means stronger performance in the classroom for our students.  Supporting student access to fresh food while supporting local agriculture is a win-win.”

Carroll County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Steven Lockard:
“It is an honor for Carroll County Public Schools to host the kick off for Maryland Home Grown School Lunch Week. Good nutrition that includes local foods and produce is an integral part of helping our students thrive and be successful.”

Carroll County Public Schools Supervisor of Food Services Karen Sarno:
“We have been buying seasonal produce grown in Carroll County for over a decade.  Each year we try to expand our purchases and now feature spring season crops and some year-round purchases. My favorite part of visiting the cafeterias in the fall is watching the students come down the lunch line and take all the fresh fruits and vegetables available. We believe the best way to improve a child’s overall diet is to increase the amount of vegetables and fruits they consume.”

Eldersburg Elementary School Principal Cindy Bell:
“Eldersburg Elementary is delighted to host this year’s kick-off event. It is important to bring attention to the agricultural community and the positive impact they have on the nutritional well-being of our children.”