{"id":27681,"date":"2023-09-25T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2023-09-25T13:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=27681"},"modified":"2023-09-25T14:58:39","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T18:58:39","slug":"governor-wes-moore-declares-september-25-29-maryland-homegrown-school-lunch-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2023\/09\/25\/governor-wes-moore-declares-september-25-29-maryland-homegrown-school-lunch-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Governor Wes Moore Declares September 25-29 Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/09\/Maryland-Home-Grown-School-Lunch-Week.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"27682\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2023\/09\/25\/governor-wes-moore-declares-september-25-29-maryland-homegrown-school-lunch-week\/attachment\/maryland-home-grown-school-lunch-week\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/09\/Maryland-Home-Grown-School-Lunch-Week.jpg?fit=1640%2C924&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1640,924\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Maryland Home Grown School Lunch Week\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/09\/Maryland-Home-Grown-School-Lunch-Week.jpg?fit=760%2C428&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-27682\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/09\/Maryland-Home-Grown-School-Lunch-Week.jpg?resize=300%2C169\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/09\/Maryland-Home-Grown-School-Lunch-Week.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/09\/Maryland-Home-Grown-School-Lunch-Week.jpg?resize=1024%2C577&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/09\/Maryland-Home-Grown-School-Lunch-Week.jpg?resize=768%2C433&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/09\/Maryland-Home-Grown-School-Lunch-Week.jpg?resize=1536%2C865&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/09\/Maryland-Home-Grown-School-Lunch-Week.jpg?w=1640&amp;ssl=1 1640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 25, 2022)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2013 Governor Wes Moore has declared September 25-29, 2023 as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mda.maryland.gov\/Documents\/MHGSLW%20Proc%202023.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Now in its 16th year, this promotion encourages Maryland schools to serve local food in lunches to show students where their food comes from and to introduce them to fresh, nutritious products made right here in Maryland.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week is an element of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mda.maryland.gov\/farm_to_school\/Pages\/farm_to_school.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maryland Farm to School Program,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> which is administered by the Maryland Department of Agriculture and Maryland State Department of Education. The program aims to bring locally-produced foods into schools, provide hands-on experiential learning to students, and integrate food-related education, while promoting the benefits of local, nutritious foods.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">School districts across the state will participate in Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week by providing students with locally-sourced school meals and educational materials. Activities include: <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b><i>Frederick County Public County Schools<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Frederick County grown produce will be served in all schools including apples, pears and cherry tomatoes from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.moonvalleyfarm.net\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Moon Valley<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">apples, pears and peaches from<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.catoctinmountainorchard.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Catoctin Mountain Orchards<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b><i>Caroline County Public Schools:<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Caroline County grown produce will be served in all schools. Farms featured include: TJ Farms, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bladesorchard.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Blades Orchards,<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/redacreshydro.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Red Acres Hydroponics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/@Clayton-Farms-100063616538003\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clayton Farm.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0 Produce offered will include cantaloupe, watermelon and sweet corn.\u00a0 Students will also have the opportunity to taste Maryland crab soup and Blue catfish bites.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b><i>Carroll County Public Schools<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Carroll County grown produce will be served in all schools. Farms featured include <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/willetfamilyfarm.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Willet Family Farms<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.deeprunfarmsmaryland.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Deep Run Farms<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baughers.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Baugher&#8217;s Orchards &amp; Farms <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dairymaiddairy.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dairy Maid Dairy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Produce offered will include sweet corn, potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, sweet peppers, watermelon and apples. Several schools will also have student and cafeteria staff\u2019s favorite activities &#8211; corn husking on the playground!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b><i>St. Mary\u2019s County Public Schools<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Several farm-to-school events will be held throughout the county. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gwces.smcps.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">George Washington Carver Elementary School<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> will be holding their event on October 6 from 8:30 am- 2:30 pm and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cpcs.smcps.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chesapeake Public Charter School<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2019s event will be held on October 11 from 9 am \u2013 3 pm. Activities at both schools will include outdoor activities in stations, classroom activities and books.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b><i>Somerset County Public Schools<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Activities will be held on Tuesday, September 26 at<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pes.somerset.k12.md.us\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Princess Anne Elementary<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and will feature a taste-testing of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">locally-grown callaloo in a new <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tropical Somerset Salad.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b><i>Washington County Public School\u2019s<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Food and nutrition services staff will host a farm-themed cafeteria decorating contest. Lunch will be provided to the winners! The school system will also serve local produce in all schools. Farms featured included <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/p\/District-Farms-100069500935031\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">District Farm<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">s, Edgemont Orchards and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rinehartorchards.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rinehart Orchards<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Produce served will include bibb lettuce, Shenandoah pears and apples.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This year\u2019s Homegrown School Lunch Week celebration will be held on Friday, September 29 at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pgcps.org\/cherokeelane\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cherokee Lane Elementary School<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in Prince George\u2019s County. Planned activities for the event include<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> students attending an assembly during which agriculture and education officials will discuss the connection between farms, food and nutrition, and activities in which students can participate and learn about locally grown food.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Students will have the opportunity to sample locally-grown produce during a taste test, featuring fresh-cut cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and a watermelon smoothie. The locally grown produce is sourced from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.millerfarmsclinton.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Miller Farms<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in Clinton.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Other activities at the taste testing include a display of locally grown produce from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bowieproduce.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bowie Produce<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.umd.edu\/programs\/family-consumer-sciences\/snap-ed\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">University of Maryland Extension-Maryland SNAP-Ed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> activities include a bilingual handout of Watermelon Smoothie recipe, games for students with incentives including fruit and vegetable inspired bookmarks, and a bilingual fall produce brochure. Additionally a school wide \u201cRead for Health\u201d <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">read aloud book with <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pre-K-Grade 2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Grades 3-5 will experience the debut of Maryland SNAP-Ed\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Exploring Maryland Food, a Farm to School Curriculum, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">which explores how Maryland foods are grown and harvested.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For educational materials, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mda.maryland.gov\/farm_to_school\/Pages\/harvest-of-the-month.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Harvest of the Month<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> posters, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/marylandsbest.maryland.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/Whats-In-Season.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">produce seasonality charts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, menus, places to find local products, a brief <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=My7yWbKPBJU\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">video soundbook<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> with photos and interviews, plus much more for parents, teachers, and food service staff, please visit the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mda.maryland.gov\/farm_to_school\/Pages\/2020-MDHomegrown-School-Lunch-Week.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maryland Farm to School\u00a0website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/farmtoschoolcensus.fns.usda.gov\/census-results\/states\/md\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2019 U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s Farm to School Census<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Maryland schools spent more than $19 million on local foods in School Year 2018-2019. More than 95% of Maryland schools serve local foods, and nearly 97% of Maryland schools participate in farm-to-school activities such as nutrition education, taste testing, gardening and collaborating with local farmers. Maryland was also the first state in the nation to have every public school system participate in the Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">More details about Maryland\u2019s school meals programs can be found on the Maryland State Department of Education\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/marylandpublicschools.org\/Pages\/default.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. More information on Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week can be found on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mda.maryland.gov\/farm_to_school\/Pages\/2020-MDHomegrown-School-Lunch-Week.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">MDA\u2019s website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. For questions or concerns, please contact MDA\u2019s Karen Fedor at <\/span><a href=\"mailto:karen.fedor@maryland.gov\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">karen.fedor@maryland.gov<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or (410) 841-5773.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><b>###<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Maryland Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cA key component of educating students about nutrition is teaching them about where their food comes from.\u00a0 Nothing provides that opportunity more than the Farm to School Program and Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week. Understanding the importance of eating healthy, nutritious food and how agriculture plays a role in it can open up students to wanting to learn more about our State\u2019s number one industry\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Maryland State Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMaryland Homegrown School Lunch week is a unique opportunity to celebrate the value of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maryland agriculture in school meals. The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">recognizes the commitment and dedication of Maryland schools and their school nutrition <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">professionals who provide nutritious and balanced meals each day for our students. By <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">partnering with local farmers and ranchers, schools can ensure that students have access to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">fresh and wholesome ingredients that contribute to their well-being.\u00a0 MSDE remains committed to furthering farm to school efforts in Maryland through participation in the United States Department of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Agriculture Farm to School Program.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div><strong>Millard House II, Prince George&#8217;s County Public Schools, Superintendent<\/strong><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;Prince George&#8217;s County Public Schools is honored to host Maryland Homegrown Week Kick-off.\u00a0 We are proud of our partnerships with local farms and the MD agricultural community and excited to highlight healthy products from a local farm.&#8221;<\/div>\n<p><b>John Chrisman, CEO of American Dairy Association North East<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMaryland\u2019s 320 dairy farm families are proud to produce nutritious milk for school meals that help fuel students for academic success. Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week provides the perfect opportunity for students to learn about how their milk is sustainably and responsibly produced right in their home state. We are thrilled that state officials recognize the important role farmers play in feeding their communities.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><b>###<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Follow Maryland Farm to School on Twitter <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MDFarm2School\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">@MdFarm2School<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Follow the OSCNP on Twitter <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MSDEnutrition\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">@MSDEnutrition<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and Instagram <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/msdenutrition\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">@MSDEnutrition<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Follow Maryland Department of Agriculture on Twitter<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/mdagdept\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">@MdAgDept<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 25, 2022) \u2013 Governor Wes Moore has declared September 25-29, 2023 as Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week. Now in its 16th year, this promotion encourages Maryland schools to serve local food in lunches to show students where their food comes from and to introduce them to fresh, nutritious products made right here<a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2023\/09\/25\/governor-wes-moore-declares-september-25-29-maryland-homegrown-school-lunch-week\/\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Read the Rest&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":222,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/222"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27681"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27681\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27684,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27681\/revisions\/27684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}