State, School Leaders Mark Rhode Island Farm to School Month, Highlight Lunch Room Learning Event at Warwick's Norwood Elementary School

Published on Friday, October 18, 2024

WARWICK, RI – The Rhode Island Farm to School (RIF2S) Network, Superintendent of Warwick Public Schools Lynn Dambruch, Rhode Island Healthy Schools Coalition (RIHSC) Co-Director Kelly Swanson, and representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Division of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation today joined Principal Dr. Sabrina Antontelli, educators, and students at Norwood Elementary School to mark National Farm to School Month and highlight the district’s commitment to promoting fresh, locally-sourced foods in school meals. As part of the event, it was announced that Governor McKee has signed a proclamation declaring October as Farm to School Month in Rhode Island. Students participated in an Apple Crunch, a yearly tradition with students across Rhode Island biting into locally grown apples. The celebration is part of a broader effort to ensure that students have access to nutritious options that support both their health and academic performance.

“Ensuring that students have healthy, well-balanced meals is critical for their success both in and out of the classroom,” said Governor Dan McKee. “Through the Rhode Island Farm to School Network, we are demonstrating our commitment to bringing local, homegrown ingredients to students’ meals and supporting local farmers and business. Thank you to Rhode Island's state agencies, our partners, and school systems for continuing to put the wellbeing of our kids at the forefront.”

“As we promote the wellbeing of students, academic success, and regular school attendance, it is critical to introduce our children to nutritious, locally-sourced foods that will allow them to make healthy choices,” said Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. “In doing so, we empower them to sustainably nourish their bodies both in and out of school while supporting them in maintaining healthy habits. I’d like to commend Warwick and our school districts on their commitment to providing our students with fresh, nutritious foods to ensure they are set up for success each and every day. Thank you to our partners at DEM and Rhode Island Commerce who also work closely together to ensure the success of the Rhode Island Farm and Sea to School program to support Rhode Island children of all ages.”

In Rhode Island, schools and communities across the state are participating in Farm to School Month by highlighting delicious, locally produced foods such as corn from Confreda Farms, lettuce from Gotham Greens, cheese from Narragansett Creamery and poultry from Baffoni's. The statewide Farm to School Month aligns with National Farm to School Month, which Congress designated in 2010 as an annual showcase of food education, school gardens, and lunch trays filled with nutritious, local ingredients.

“Student access to local, healthy, and delicious RI Grown food at school is an engine that fuels learning and encourages attendance,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “Many students have their healthiest meals of the day because of farm to school programs, which also help local farmers grow their businesses and stimulates Rhode Island’s economy. With the highest percentage of beginning farmers in the country according to USDA’s latest census of agriculture, supporting local agriculture through farm to school programs benefits all Rhode Islanders, ensures our future food security, enhances our environment, and celebrates our state’s unique food cultures and landscape.”

“Every student should have access to good, local, nutritious food and the Rhode Island Farm to School Program achieves that while also helping keep our state’s food economy and farms thriving,” said Secretary of Commerce Liz Tanner. 

“We do Farm to School because it is a win-win-win for kids, food producers, and the community,” said Farm and Sea to School Director and RIF2S Chair Stephanie Pike. “Students learn what is good for their health, the health of their community, and the health of the environment; farmers, fishers and food producers gain access to a market that feeds both their community and their business; and parents, teachers, and community members build relationships and skills as well by participating.”

The RIF2S Network brings locally produced foods into school cafeterias and provides hands-on learning activities such as school gardening, farm visits, and culinary classes, which align with Governor McKee and RIDE’s Learn365RI out-of-school learning and RIDE’s Learning Inside Out Outdoor Classroom initiatives, which are designed to shift learning from the traditional 180 school days to 365 days and support equitable access to natural resources for all students, while promoting environmental literacy and community connection. Norwood is a recipient of $100,000 from RIDE’s Learning Inside Out program and worked with the City of Warwick and Oakland Beach Elementary School to secure two rounds of Learn365RI grants totaling more than $380,000. 

By teaching students the importance of locally grown food, the RIF2S Network supports the Rhode Island Food Strategy (Relish Rhody), which envisions a sustainable, equitable food system. Eating RI Grown foods supports local farmers and helps ensure Rhode Island’s future food security. Minimizing transportation of food preserves fossil fuels, drastically reduces pollution, and can help lower much of the final costs to consumers.

“The Apple Crunch is such a fun event every year,” said RIHSC Co-Director Kelly Swanson. “The kids love apples and really enjoy the countdown and the simultaneous crunch. It is such a fantastic way to teach kids about the importance and deliciousness of local produce during Farm to School Month. 

"Norwood Elementary School is proud to have hosted a successful Apple Crunch event celebrating National Farm to School Month,” said Norwood Elementary Principal Dr. Sabrina Antonelli. “Fueling students with locally sourced nutritious food is so important for their health and wellness. This impacts their attendance and academic performance. With currently 64% of students qualifying for free and reduced breakfast and lunch, many of our students receive 2 out of 3 meals a school day here at Norwood Elementary School. Norwood Elementary School loves participating in and giving back to the community. Supporting local farmers through everyday meals is a great way to do just that. Norwood Elementary School was a recipient of the RIDE’s Learning Inside Out Grant. Groundbreaking to build our outdoor learning space and gardens has just recently begun. We hope with a partnership through the URI Master Gardner’s program we are able to teach students the importance of growing their own food and including locally sourced food in their everyday diet." 

The RIF2S Project began in 1999 with the goal of improving children’s nutrition, supporting sustainable agriculture, and preserving open space and the quality of Rhode Island’s environment by integrating locally-grown foods into school cafeterias. The RIF2S Network was established in 2019 to provide leadership and unify advocacy, funding, and organizational capacities to strengthen and expand farm to school efforts in all Rhode Island communities. A joint initiative of DEM, RIDE, Rhode Island Commerce, RIHSC, and Farm Fresh Rhode Island (FFRI), RIF2S is funded partly by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service and the Henry P. Kendall Foundation. In the past four years, the RIF2S network has worked to engage partners to develop, expand, and strengthen local procurement, education, and gardening initiatives. Through this collaborative network, state agencies and community organizations have partnered to provide comprehensive support to RI’s educators, farmers, and families as they work to create a healthier, more just food system. In 2023, more than two million dollars in federal funding has been provided to schools to purchase directly from local farmers through FFRI’s Market Mobile Platform. 

RIF2S has recently launched their first ever strategic plan, which will allow them to be a better resource for Farm to School stakeholders. They are focusing on a new program called the Farm & Sea to School Institute, and Warwick is part of the first cohort. They are also creating a centralized hub for Farm to School resources, events, professional development, and new opportunities to engage with the network. 

With more than 12.7 million lunches and 5.7 million breakfasts served in Rhode Island each school year, farm to school programming presents a tremendous opportunity to increase access to fresh local food for all students, and create new market channels for local food producers such as farmers, seafood harvesters, and local food entrepreneurs. Schools across Rhode Island continue to offer these programs in innovative ways. 

On November 15, from 7 to 7 p.m. at Farm Fresh Rhode Island, the RI Farm & Sea to School Network will host its second annual convening to celebrate farm to school in RI and inform the Farm to School Action Plan. Those interested in connecting students with locally grown and nutritious foods are encouraged to learn more at rifarmtoschool.org.

For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Facebook, Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@rhodeisland.dem) for timely updates.