State, Local Leaders Kick Off 12th Annual Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week at Denton Elementary School in Caroline County

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan has designated September 30–October 4 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.

This year marks the 12^th anniversary of Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week. Today’s kick-off event was held at Denton Elementary School (DES) in Caroline County. At the start of the event, Denton Elementary School students attended an assembly and heard from agriculture and education officials about the connection between farms, food, and nutrition. Speakers included: Denton Elementary School Principal Susan McCandless, Caroline County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services Mr. Milton Nagel, Maryland State Department of Education State Superintendent Dr. Karen Salmon, and Maryland Agriculture Secretary Joe Bartenfelder.

Following the speaking program, officials joined students for lunch featuring local agricultural products. The menu included blue catfish tacos made with blue catfish from Chester River Clam Company, Inc. in Centerville; roasted chicken from Tyson in Worcester served on hydroponic lettuce from Red Acres in Worton; all beef hot dogs from Hoffman’s Meats in Hagerstown; chicken salad on local bread from Tilghman Island Baking Co. located in Tilghman; watermelon slices from Bartenfelder Farms in Preston; Maryland crab soup made with ingredients from Blough’s Seafood in Denton and Clayton Farms in Denton; tomato and feta salad with tomatoes from Bartenfelder Farms and Clayton Farms; and cantaloupe from Bartenfelder Farms and Clayton Farms.

During lunch, students also had the opportunity to sample locally-grown and produced items during a “Taste Test.” Tasting stations featured the following local agriculture and seafood products: cheese from Chapel’s Country Creamery in Easton; Maryland crab soup with ingredients from Blough’s Seafood and Clayton Farms; applesauce and apple cider donuts from Blades Orchard in Federalsburg; microgreens and mint from Red Acres; milk from Bailey and Sons Dairy from Greenwood, Delaware; Oysters from Phillips Wharf Environmental Center in Tilghman; crab claws from The J.M. Clayton Company in Cambridge; pumpkin-cranberry bread from Shore Gourmet Market/Savor Maryland in Denton; cucumber slices from Bartenfelder Farms; and cantaloupe from Clayton Farms.

Culinary arts students prepared pork chili using hogs raised by Caroline County Career and Technology agriculture students and purchased by Caroline County Public School Food and Nutrition. Caroline County Public School culinary staff also made a watermelon mint soup.

Other activities at the “Taste Testing” included a display from the Maryland Food Bank, tower gardens from Farming 4 Hunger, and a pumpkin seed activity from the University of Maryland Extension – Food Supplement Nutrition Education.

After lunch and the “Taste Test,” agricultural and educational leaders read ag-related children’s books to students. In addition to all of the day’s activities, the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation’s “Food, Fiber and You” mobile science lab was on-site all week, teaching Denton Elementary School students where their food and fiber comes from.

Local school districts across the state will celebrate 2019 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:

• Baltimore City Public Schools’ Farm to School Summit event at Great Kids Farm on Friday, October 4. The summit will bring together over 120 middle school students from 12 Baltimore City Public Schools for an exciting day of hands-on learning with activities related to agriculture education.
• St. Mary’s County Public Schools will celebrate Farm to School Day at Benjamin Banneker Elementary School on Friday, October 4, in cooperation with Maryland Extension Service. Students will rotate through three stations, which include lessons on animal agriculture, oyster aquaculture, nutrition, and planting/farming throughout the day and participate in hands-on activities for an interactive learning experience. The school lunch will feature Southern Maryland baked blue catfish with Old Bay Seasoning paired with fresh local vegetables from the Loveville produce auction.
• Garrett County Public Schools will feature locally-sourced lunch throughout the week. Highlights include: goat cheese, cheese curds, vegetables, sausages, and buckwheat brownies made with locally-milled buckwheat grain from Stanton Mills.

The Homegrown School Lunch Week, an element of the Jane Lawton Farm to School Program, was signed into law in 2008. For 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.

This fall Maryland Farm to School launched a Harvest of the Month campaign to serve as a model for schools to feature and promote one or more in-season, Maryland-grown or produced item(s) each month. Maryland-grown apples were featured at our kick-off event and students were able to taste apples grown right in their own county! Funding for the project was made possible through the USDA Farm to School and USDA Specialty Crop Block grants. Posters and clings are available for download 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.

Further details on the school meals programs can be found on the Maryland State Department of Education’s website. More on the benefits of buying local is available on the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s website.

For more information on Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week, the 2019 kick-off event, or Maryland Farm to School, please contact Karen Fedor at karen.fedor@maryland.gov or 410-841-5773.

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

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Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Joe Bartenfelder:

“Each year, Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week offers an amazing opportunity to educate students about agriculture and nutrition,” said Maryland Agriculture Secretary Joe Bartenfelder. “Incorporating locally-grown fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, seafood, and other Maryland products into school lunches, allows us to highlight the diversity of Maryland’s agriculture industry and show support for our hardworking Maryland farmers who provide us with fresh, nutritious food.”

Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Salmon:

“Maryland schools serve more than 405,000 healthy meals to students each day, and during Homegrown School Lunch Week much of that nutritious food comes from our very own local farms. Maryland is a national leader in Farm to School initiatives, spending more than $18 million annually in local food purchases. Homegrown School Lunch Week allows us an opportunity to celebrate that commitment and the dedicated work of our schools to provide healthy choices for children.”

Caroline County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Patricia Saelens:

“Caroline County Public Schools is honored to host the Maryland Home Grown School Lunch Week kick-off this year. We are proud to showcase our dedicated food services staff, along with the many community partners who are an integral part of keeping our students well-fed and healthy.”

Caroline County Public Schools Supervisor of Food Services Beth Brewster:

“We love highlighting our local farmers and bringing awareness to the incredible resources we have in Caroline County and on the Eastern Shore. Our team strongly believes in keeping our farmers farming and our children eating nutritious local produce. We are proud to serve locally-sourced food all year long. This past summer, our cafeteria staff processed 10,000 pounds of local produce to serve throughout the school year. This provides extra income to our farmers and staff, and wholesome, local food to our greatest asset – our children!”

Denton Elementary School Principal Susan McCandless:

“Denton Elementary students and staff are thrilled to host this year’s Maryland Home Grown School Lunch Week kick-off event. Our food services staff and local agriculture community are Awesome, so we are excited to honor their work. The DES Family loves the local produce that keeps us mentally and physically healthy. We welcome you to our school!”

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